Auto-retraction apparatus and methods for sealing a vascular puncture

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for sealing a puncture communicating with a blood vessel includes an introducer sheath, an occlusion member with a balloon thereon, a retraction assembly, and a syringe assembly including sealing material therein. During use, the introducer sheath is introduced into the puncture. With the balloon in a collapsed state, the occlusion member is introduced through the introducer sheath until the balloon is disposed within the vessel. The introducer sheath is coupled to the retraction assembly, the balloon is expanded, and the occlusion member is partially withdrawn to seal the puncture. A sealing compound is delivered from the syringe assembly through the introducer sheath into the puncture, the syringe assembly triggering the retraction assembly, whereupon the introducer sheath is automatically withdrawn at least partially from the puncture, delivering the sealing compound along the puncture.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.10/454,362, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,331,979, filed Jun. 4, 2003, thedisclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to apparatus and methods forsealing punctures through tissue and, more particularly, to apparatusand methods for sealing a vascular puncture extending through tissueinto a blood vessel, and to apparatus and methods for delivering asealing compound into a percutaneous puncture extending from a patient'sskin to a blood vessel or other body lumen to seal the puncture.

BACKGROUND

Apparatus and methods are known for accessing a patient's vasculaturepercutaneously to perform a procedure within the vasculature, and forsealing the puncture that results after completing the procedure. Forexample, a hollow needle may be inserted through a patient's skin andoverlying tissue into a blood vessel. A guide wire may be passed throughthe needle lumen into the blood vessel, whereupon the needle may beremoved. An introducer sheath may then be advanced over the guide wireinto the vessel, e.g., in conjunction with or subsequent to one or moredilators. A catheter or other device may be advanced through theintroducer sheath and over the guide wire into a position for performinga medical procedure. In this manner, the introducer sheath mayfacilitate introducing various instruments into the vessel, whileminimizing trauma to the vessel wall and/or minimizing blood loss. Uponcompleting the procedure, the instrument(s) and introducer sheath may beremoved, leaving a puncture extending between the skin and the vessel.

To seal the puncture, external pressure may be applied to the overlyingtissue, e.g., manually and/or using sandbags, until hemostasis occurs.This procedure, however, may be time consuming and expensive, requiringas much as an hour of a medical professional's time. It is alsouncomfortable for the patient, and may require the patient to remainimmobilized in an operating room, catheter lab, or holding area. Inaddition, a risk of hematoma exists from bleeding before hemostasisoccurs.

Various apparatus and methods have been suggested for sealing apercutaneous puncture instead of using external pressure. For example,U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,421 to Fowler discloses a collagen plug that may bedelivered into a puncture through tissue. In one embodiment, a catheteris inserted through the puncture into the blood vessel. A balloon on thecatheter is expanded and retracted until the balloon is disposedadjacent the puncture at the wall of the vessel. The plug may beadvanced into the puncture until the plug contacts the balloon, therebypreventing the plug from entering the vessel. Once the plug ispositioned within the puncture, the balloon may be deflated andwithdrawn, leaving the plug therein to expand and seal the punctureand/or to promote hemostasis.

By way of another example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,192,302 and 5,222,974 issuedto Kensey et al. describe a biodegradable collagen plug that may bedelivered through an introducer sheath into a puncture site. Thedisclosed plug, however, may be difficult to position properly withrespect to the vessel, which may be significant since it is generallyundesirable to expose the collagen material within the bloodstream whereit may float downstream and cause an embolism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally directed to apparatus and methods forsealing a puncture in a body, including without limitation, apparatusand methods for providing temporary or permanent hemostasis within avascular puncture extending into a blood vessel, and/or to apparatus andmethods for delivering a sealing compound into a percutaneous punctureextending from a patient's skin to a blood vessel or other body lumen.

In one embodiment, an apparatus is provided for sealing a puncturethrough tissue that includes an introducer sheath, delivery sheath, orother tubular member, an occlusion member, and a retraction assembly.The tubular member may include a proximal end, a distal end having asize for insertion into the puncture, and a lumen extending between theproximal and distal ends. The occlusion member may be slidably disposedwithin the tubular member and may include a proximal end, a distal endextending distally through an opening in the distal end of the tubularmember, and an expandable member on the distal end.

The retraction assembly may be coupled to the tubular member and theocclusion member for controlling axial movement of the tubular memberrelative to the occlusion member. The retraction assembly may include alock for securing the tubular member in a distal position relative tothe occlusion member, and a release or trigger for disengaging the lock,the retraction assembly being biased to retract the tubular memberproximally relative to the occlusion member when the lock is disengaged.

The apparatus may also include a delivery device communicating with theproximal end of the tubular member. The delivery device may include oneor more plungers that are advanceable to deliver sealing compound intothe lumen, the plunger(s) configured for triggering the release when theplunger(s) is(are) advanced to deliver the liquid sealing compound.

In another embodiment, a method is provided for sealing a puncturecommunicating with a body lumen using an apparatus that includes anocclusion member including an expandable member on a distal end thereof,an introducer sheath, delivery sheath, or other tubular member, and aretraction assembly coupled to the occlusion member. The tubular membermay be introduced into the puncture, e.g., a percutaneous puncturecommunicating with a blood vessel or other body lumen. The occlusionmember may be introduced through the tubular member into the puncturewith the expandable member in a collapsed state until the expandablemember is disposed within the body lumen.

The tubular member may be coupled to the retraction assembly, e.g., byconnecting a sheath or shaft extending from the retraction assembly to aproximal end of the tubular member. The expandable member may beexpanded, and the occlusion member may be at least partially withdrawnfrom the puncture until the expandable member substantially seals thepuncture from the body lumen.

A sealing compound may be introduced through the tubular member into thepuncture until the retraction assembly is triggered whereupon thetubular member may be automatically withdrawn at least partially fromthe puncture, thereby delivering the sealing compound along thepuncture. The sealing compound may be delivered from one or moresyringes into the tubular member when a plunger assembly of thesyringe(s) is depressed. The plunger assembly may include a trigger forreleasing a lock member of the retraction assembly when the plungerassembly is depressed a predetermined distance. Where the tubular memberis coupled to the retraction assembly by connecting a sheath or shaftextending from the retraction assembly, the sheath or shaft may bebiased to move proximally when the lock member of the retractionassembly is released, thereby withdrawing the tubular member at leastpartially from the puncture, e.g., as the sealing compound is delivered.

Thereafter, the expandable member may be collapsed, and the occlusionmember may be withdrawn from the puncture. The sealing compound mayinclude a liquid sealing compound, and the occlusion member may beremoved from the puncture after the liquid sealing compound has at leastpartially solidified.

In yet another embodiment, a method is provided for sealing a puncturecommunicating with a body lumen using an apparatus that includes anocclusion member including an expandable member on a distal end thereof,a delivery sheath, introducer sheath, or other tubular member sheathslidable along the occlusion member, and a retraction assembly coupledto the occlusion member and the tubular member. The tubular member andthe occlusion member may be introduced into the puncture, e.g.,simultaneously or sequentially.

For example, the occlusion member may be disposed within the tubularmember such that the occlusion member is introduced into the puncturewhen the tubular member is introduced into the puncture. Alternatively,the occlusion member may be introduced into the puncture through thetubular member after the tubular member is introduced into the puncture.

If the occlusion member is introduced after the tubular member, thetubular member may be coupled to the retraction assembly after theocclusion member is introduced into the puncture through the tubularmember. For example, a sheath may overlie a portion of the occlusionmember that may be coupled to the proximal end of the tubular memberAlternatively, if the occlusion member and tubular member are introducedsimultaneously, the tubular member may be coupled to the retractionassembly before introduction.

For example, the occlusion member may be introduced into the puncturewith the expandable member in a collapsed state until the expandablemember is disposed within the body lumen beyond the distal end of thetubular member. The expandable member is then expanded, and theocclusion member is at least partially withdrawn from the puncture untilthe expandable member substantially seals the puncture from the bodylumen.

A sealing compound may be introduced through the tubular member into thepuncture until the retraction assembly is triggered whereupon thetubular member may be automatically withdrawn at least partially fromthe puncture, thereby delivering the sealing compound along thepuncture.

In still another embodiment, an apparatus is provided for delivering asealing compound into a puncture extending through tissue that includesone or more barrels, e.g., a pair of barrels, a plunger assembly, and anauto-injection assembly. Each barrel includes a chamber for storing acomponent of the sealing compound, and an access port communicating withthe chamber. A plunger assembly including a piston slidable within eachbarrel chamber from a proximal position to a distal position fordelivering the components out of the barrel chambers through therespective ports.

An auto-injection assembly is coupled to the plunger assembly thatincludes a spring mechanism that is locked in an inactive condition, andan actuator coupled to the spring mechanism. When the spring mechanismis inactive, the plunger assembly may be manipulated manually, e.g., toload sealing components into the barrels. When the actuator isactivated, the spring mechanism is released, whereupon the springmechanism may direct the pistons of the plunger assembly towards theirdistal positions to deliver the components out of the barrel chambers.

Optionally, the apparatus may include a valve coupled to the barrelports for selectively placing the barrel chambers in communication withone or more inlet lines and one or more outlet lines. For example, thevalve may be movable to a first or loading position in which the barrelchambers are in communication with the inlet line, e.g., to deliverfurther components from a container or other source, e.g., for mixingthe sealing components in the barrel chambers with the further sealingcomponents and/or for loading sealing components into the barrels. Thevalve may also be movable to a second or delivery position wherein thebarrel ports communicate with a “Y” fitting, mixer, and/or tubing, e.g.,for mixing together the sealing components injected from the barrelsand/or delivering the sealing components into a puncture. Optionally,the valve may also be moved to a third or closed position wherein thebarrel ports are isolated to prevent the sealing components fromescaping.

In yet another embodiment, a method is provided for delivering a sealingcompound from a delivery device that includes a plurality of barrels anda plunger assembly including pistons slidable within the barrels betweenfirst and second positions.

Sealing components may be provided in the barrels with the plungerassembly in the first position. For example, a valve coupled to thebarrels may be moved to a first position wherein the barrels communicatewith a container or other source of further sealing components. Theplunger assembly may be manually advanced into the barrels to deliverthe sealing components in the barrels into the containers to mix thesealing components with the further sealing components. For example, thebarrels may include one or more buffer solutions, and the containers mayinclude powdered or other solid forms of polymer precursor compounds.Once the components are mixed, e.g., by shaking the containers, theplunger assembly may be manually withdrawn from the barrels to drawmixed sealing components from the containers into the barrels.

When it is desired to deliver the sealing compound, an actuator coupledto a spring mechanism may be activated, whereupon the spring mechanismmay direct the plunger assembly to move towards the second position todeliver the sealing components out of the barrels. For example, a valvecoupled to the barrel ports may be moved to a delivery position, whereinthe ports communicate with an introducer sheath, delivery sheath, orother tubular member placed within a puncture. When the actuator isactivated, the sealing compounds may be delivered through the tubularmember and into the puncture, e.g., via an introducer, delivery sheath,or other tubular member. Optionally, the sealing components in thebarrels may mix in a “Y” fitting, a mixer, and/or within the tubularmember itself before being delivered into the puncture.

In still another embodiment, an occlusion apparatus is provided forsealing a puncture extending from a patient's skin through tissue to abody lumen, e.g., for temporary hemostasis. The apparatus may include anouter member including a proximal end, a distal end having a size andshape for insertion into a puncture, and a lumen extending between theproximal and distal ends, thereby defining a longitudinal axistherebetween. An inner member may be slidably disposed within the lumenof the outer member that also includes proximal and distal ends.

The apparatus may include an expandable member that includes a proximalend coupled to the distal end of the outer member and a distal endcoupled to the distal end of the inner member. In one embodiment, aninterior of the expandable member may communicate with the lumen of theouter member, the expandable member being expandable when fluid isintroduced into the interior. In another embodiment, the expandablemember may include a frame that expands when the inner member isdirected proximally relative to the outer member.

The apparatus may include a housing on the proximal end of the outermember that includes a piston slidably disposed within a chamber andcoupled to the inner member, and a reservoir filled with inflation mediacommunicating with the chamber. The housing includes an actuator, e.g.,a depression switch coupled to another piston, that may be activated bya user to direct the inflation media from the reservoir into thechamber.

If the expandable member is inflatable, the reservoir and/or chambercommunicate with the lumen of the outer member, and consequently withthe interior of the expandable member. When the actuator is activated,the expandable member is expanded substantially simultaneously with thepiston being directed proximally to pull the inner member proximally andshorten the expandable member as it expands. If the expandable memberincludes an expandable frame, when the actuator is activated, the pistonpulls the inner member proximally, causing the frame to buckle and/orotherwise expand, thereby extending a membrane thereon substantiallytransversely. The actuator may be deactivated to withdraw the inflationmedia from the chamber and/or the lumen into the reservoir, therebysubstantially directing the piston distally to push the inner memberdistally and collapsing the expandable member.

In yet another embodiment, an apparatus is provided for sealing apuncture extending from a patient's skin to a body lumen. The apparatusmay include a tensioner and an elongate occlusion member. The occlusionmember may include a proximal end, a distal end insertable into thepuncture, and an expandable member on the distal end of the occlusionmember that may be disposed within the body lumen while the proximal endremains outside the puncture. The tensioner may include an elongate bodywith a foot on a first end thereof and a saddle on a second end thereof,the foot having a shape for placement against the patient's skinadjacent the puncture. The saddle may be moveable along or otherwiserelative to the shaft towards the foot and biased to move away from thefoot. Cooperating connectors may be provided on the foot and theproximal end of the occlusion member for securing the occlusion memberto the saddle.

During use, a distal end of the occlusion member may be introduced intothe puncture with an expandable member thereon in a collapsed stateuntil the expandable member is disposed within the body lumen, whereuponthe expandable member may be expanded to an expanded state within thebody lumen. A foot of the tensioner may be placed against the patient'sskin adjacent the puncture, and the saddle may be directed towards thefoot to reduce a distance between the saddle and the foot. The saddlemay be connected to a proximal end of the occlusion member, whereuponthe saddle may be released to automatically (e.g., usingspring-activated forces) move away from the foot. Thus, a proximal forcemay be applied to the occlusion member to hold the expandable memberagainst a wall of the body lumen and substantially seal the puncturefrom the body lumen, e.g., to provide temporary hemostasis before and/orduring injection of sealing compounds into the puncture.

Other embodiments, aspects, and features of the present invention willbecome apparent from consideration of the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures illustrate the design and utility of exemplary embodimentsof the invention, which are shown for purposes of illustration and notlimitation, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an apparatus for sealing a puncturethrough tissue including an introducer sheath, an occlusion member, aretraction assembly, and a source of liquid sealing compound.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views of the introducer sheath andocclusion member of FIG. 1, showing a balloon on the occlusion member incollapsed and expanded states, respectively.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional details of a distal portion of theocclusion member shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, respectively.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a hub subassembly shown on a proximal end ofthe occlusion member of FIGS. 2A and 2B.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional side view of the proximal hub subassembly ofFIG. 4, including a piston and spring therein and connected to inner andouter members of the occlusion member.

FIG. 6 is a perspective detail, showing a piston being attached to aninner member and received in a housing to provide the proximal hubsubassembly shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

FIGS. 7A-7C are perspective views of an expandable frame that may beprovided on an occlusion member.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view of a switch for expanding and collapsingthe expandable frame of FIGS. 7A-7C.

FIG. 8B is a detail of a pin-slot arrangement of the switch of FIG. 8A.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the occlusion member, the introducersheath assembly, and the retraction assembly of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 10A and 10B are cross-sectional details of a lock mechanism of theretraction assembly of FIG. 1 in outward locked and inward actuatedpositions, respectively.

FIGS. 11A-11F are cross-sectional views of a percutaneous puncturecommunicating with a blood vessel showing a method for sealing thepuncture, in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 12A is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of anocclusion member, including an actuator switch for expanding and/orcollapsing a balloon thereon.

FIG. 12B is a cross-sectional view of the occlusion member actuatorswitch of FIG. 12A.

FIG. 12C is an exploded perspective view of the occlusion member of FIG.12A.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a tensioner for supporting theocclusion member of FIGS. 12A and 12B.

FIGS. 14A and 14B are perspective views, showing the occlusion member ofFIGS. 12A and 12B being coupled to the tensioner of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a linear valve.

FIG. 16A is a front view of a syringe assembly connected to a linearvalve, such as that shown in FIG. 15, with the valve in a first positionconnecting the syringe assembly to vials or precursor polymer compounds.

FIG. 16B is a side view of the syringe assembly of FIG. 16A, with thelinear valve in a second position connecting the syringe assembly to a“Y” fitting.

FIGS. 17A-17C are end views of a revolver valve that may be connected toa syringe assembly, rotated into three different positions.

FIG. 18A is a perspective view of another embodiment of an apparatus forsealing a puncture through tissue, including a retraction assembly, anintroducer sheath, and an occlusion member.

FIGS. 18B and 18C are cross-sectional details of the apparatus of FIG.18A.

FIG. 19A is a perspective view of an auto-injector device for deliveringa sealing compound.

FIG. 19B is a cross-section of the auto-injector device of FIG. 19A,taken along line 19B-19B.

FIG. 19C is an exploded perspective view of the auto-injector device ofFIG. 19A.

FIGS. 20A-20F are cross-sectional views of another embodiment of anauto-injector device, including internal springs.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1-6 depict an exemplary embodiment of an apparatus 2 for sealing apuncture extending through tissue and/or communicating with a body lumen(not shown). Generally, the apparatus 2 includes an occlusion member 4carrying a balloon 80 or other expandable member, an introducer sheathassembly 6 slidable relative to the occlusion member 4, a deliverydevice 8 for delivering sealing material through the introducer sheathassembly 6, and a retraction assembly 10 for controlling movement of theintroducer sheath assembly 6 relative to the occlusion member 4.

Turning to FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B, the introducer sheath assembly 6generally includes an outer sleeve or introducer sheath 90 including aproximal end 92, a distal end 94, and a housing 98 on the proximal end92 defining a cavity 99. The introducer sheath 90 may be an elongatetubular member including a lumen 96 (not shown, see FIGS. 11A-11E) thatextends between the proximal and distal ends 92, 94. Preferably, theintroducer sheath 90 terminates in a tapered distal tip 95 forfacilitating advancing the introducer sheath 90 through a puncture.Exemplary materials for the introducer sheath 90 may include plastics,such as polyamide, PEEK, nylon, PET, PEBAX, and polyethylene, metals,such as stainless steel, and nickel titanium, and/or compositematerials.

The housing 98 may include a generally annular body 100 attached orotherwise coupled to the proximal end 92 of the introducer sheath 90.The housing 98 may include one or more side ports 102 that communicatewith the cavity 99 and the lumen 96 of the introducer sheath 90. Asingle side port 102 is provided that may include a luer lock or otherconnector, e.g., to facilitate connecting tubing 106 and the like to theside port 102. In addition, the housing 98 may include a flange 104 orother connector (not shown) that may be used to couple the introducersheath assembly 6 to the retraction assembly 8, as described furtherbelow. Alternatively, the introducer sheath 90 may be a conventionalintroducer sheath, such as those well known in the art.

The introducer sheath assembly 6 is configured for slidably receivingthe occlusion member 4 therein, as described further below. For example,the occlusion member 4 may be inserted through the lumen 96 of theintroducer sheath 90 such that the balloon 80 is disposed distallybeyond the distal end 94 of the introducer sheath 90. From this distalposition, the introducer sheath assembly 6 may be slidable proximallyrelative to the occlusion member 4, e.g., to facilitate deliveringsealing material around the occlusion member 4, as shown in FIGS.11A-11F and described further below. The occlusion member 4 andintroducer sheath assembly 6 may include cooperating detents,connectors, or other features (not shown) that may interact to limitrelative movement of the introducer sheath assembly 6 relative to theocclusion member 4. For example, the introducer sheath assembly 4 may beslidable along the occlusion member 4, and the cooperating features mayprevent the distal end 96 of the introducer sheath 90 from being movedcloser to the balloon 80 than a desired minimum distance, e.g., not morethan about five millimeters (5 mm), as explained further below.

To substantially seal the introducer sheath assembly 6 around the outermember 12 of the occlusion member 4, the housing 98 may include one ormore annular seals (not shown) that provide a fluid-tight seal aroundthe outer member 12 (or other instruments, not shown, inserted into theintroducer sheath assembly 6) yet allow the introducer sheath assembly 6to slide along the outer member 12. Thus, when fluids are delivered intothe housing 98 from the side port 102, the seals 99 may prevent thesealing compound from leaking out of the housing 98, and instead thefluids may pass through the lumen 96 of the introducer sheath 90, asdescribed further below.

As best seen in FIGS. 2A, 2B, 3A, and 3B, the occlusion member 4 is anelongate structure including an outer member 12, an inner member 32slidably coupled to the outer member 12, and a hub subassembly 38 orother mechanism for biasing the inner member 32 relative to the outermember 12. The balloon 80 or other expandable member (not shown) iscarried by the occlusion member 4, and preferably coupled to the innerand outer members 32, 12, as described more particularly below. Althoughexemplary embodiments of the occlusion member 4 are described herein,additional information on structures and operation of an occlusionmember that may be included in the apparatus 2 are disclosed inabove-incorporated application Ser. No. 10/454,362.

The outer member 12 may be an elongate tubular body including a proximalend 14, a distal end 16, and a lumen 18 extending therebetween (shown inFIGS. 3A, 3B, and 5), thereby defining a longitudinal axis 20. The outermember 12 may be flexible, semi-rigid, or rigid, e.g., having a uniformor variable flexibility along its length. A proximal portion of theouter member 12 may be substantially rigid, e.g., a section of hypotube(not shown), to facilitate advancing the occlusion member 4 through atubular member, such as the introducer sheath assembly 6. Optionally, alubricious coating (not shown) may be provided on the exterior of theouter member 12.

In one embodiment, the distal end 16 is substantially flexible such thatthe distal end 16 may curve, bend, prolapse, or otherwise conformsubstantially to the contour of a puncture and/or other body lumen (notshown) into which the distal end 16 is inserted. In other embodiments,such as those described below, the distal end 16 may include detents,seals, and/or other components (not shown) to facilitate cooperationwith the introducer sheath assembly 6. The distal end 16 of the outermember 12 may have a size sufficient to be inserted into a relativelysmall puncture and/or body lumen. For example, the distal end 16 (andpossibly the remainder of the outer member 12) may have an outerdiameter between about 0.010-0.030 inch (0.25-0.75 mm), and less thanabout 0.020 inch (0.5 mm) in certain embodiments.

The inner member 32 may be an elongate body including a proximal end 34(shown in FIGS. 5 and 6), and a distal end 36. As best seen in FIGS. 3Aand 3B, the inner member 32 may be slidably received within the lumen 18of the outer member 12 such that the distal end 36 of the inner member32 extends beyond the distal end 16 of the outer member 12. Preferably,the inner member 32 is sufficiently small such that the inner member 32may be received in the lumen 18 of the outer member 12, yet accommodatefluid being delivered through the lumen 18, i.e., along an exterior ofthe inner member 32. The inner member 32 may be a solid wire ofnickel-titanium alloy (“Nitinol”), stainless steel, polymeric, and/orcomposite material having an outer diameter between about 0.003-0.020inch (0.075-0.5 mm), and less than about 0.010 inch (0.25 mm) in certainembodiments. Alternatively, the inner member 32 may include a lumen (notshown) for receiving a guidewire (not shown) therethrough, e.g., suchthat the occlusion member 4 may be advanced over a guidewire.

The inner member 32 may be biased to move distally relative to the outermember 12, i.e., from a proximal position (such as that shown in FIG.3B) to a distal position (such as that shown in FIG. 3A), e.g., tofacilitate collapsing the balloon 80. For example, as shown in FIGS.4-6, hub subassembly 38 may be provided for biasing the inner member 32relative to the outer member 12. Generally, the hub subassembly 38 mayinclude a housing 40 extending proximally from the proximal end 14 ofthe outer member 12 and a piston 60 coupled to the proximal end 34 ofthe inner member 32. As best seen in FIG. 4, the housing 40 may includea hollow adaptor end 42, a side port 44 communicating with an interior46 of the housing 40, and a hollow cylinder 48. The cylinder 48 mayinclude an outer wall 50 and a proximal end wall 52, thereby defining achamber 54 that communicates with the interior 46 of the housing 40. Theend wall 52 may only partially enclose the chamber 54 or maysubstantially seal the chamber 54, as explained further below.

The adapter end 42 of the housing 40 may be attached to the proximal end14 of the outer member 12 such that the interior 46 of the housing 40communicates with the lumen 18 of the outer member 12. For example, theadapter end 42 may be attached to the proximal end 14 of the outermember 12 using an adhesive, an interference fit, mating threads, and/orother connectors, e.g., to substantially permanently attach the housing40 to the proximal end 14 of the outer member 12. With the housing 40attached to the outer member 12, the side port 44 may communicate withthe lumen 18 via the interior 46 of the housing 40. Thus, fluiddelivered into the side port 44 may enter the lumen 18 as well as thechamber 54 of the cylinder 48 via the interior 46 of the housing 40.

The side port 44 may include a connector, e.g., a luer lock connector,or a nipple (not shown) for connecting tubing or otherwise connecting asource of fluid or other inflation media to the side port 44. Forexample, a syringe filled with inflation media, e.g., saline, carbondioxide, and the like (not shown), may be connected to the side port 44for manually delivering the inflation media into the lumen 18.Alternatively, a pump or other device (also not shown) may be providedfor delivering fluid at a desired pressure and/or flow rate.

As best seen in FIG. 5, the piston 60 may be slidably received in thecylinder 48, thereby dividing the chamber 54 into a proximal chamber 54a and a distal chamber 54 b. The piston 60 may include one or more seals62 for providing a fluid-tight seal between the piston 60 and the sidewall 50 of the cylinder 48, while accommodating the piston 60 slidingwithin the chamber 54. The piston 50 may include a distal surface 66that is exposed to fluid pressure within the distal chamber 54 b, andconsequently to fluid pressure within the interior 46 of the housing 40and/or within the lumen 18 of the outer member 12.

The proximal end 34 of the inner member 32 may be coupled to the piston60, thereby coupling axial movement of the inner member 32 to axialmovement of the piston 60, as shown in FIG. 5. For example, as shown inFIG. 6, the distal surface 66 of the piston 50 may include an aperture68 through which the proximal end 34 of the inner member 32 may bereceived. Once the inner member 12 is inserted a desired distance intothe aperture 68, the inner member 12 may be secured to the piston 60using known mechanisms, such as a set screw 70 and/or adhesive.

To provide a biasing force, e.g., to facilitate returning the occlusionmember to a minimum profile, a compression spring or other mechanism 74may be provided in the proximal chamber 54 a of the housing 40, e.g.,for biasing the piston 60 away from the end wall 52, i.e., towards theadapter end 42 of the housing 40. The spring 74 may apply an axial forceagainst a proximal surface 76 of the piston 60 and the end wall 52 ofthe cylinder 48. The spring constant of the spring 74 may be selected toprovide a desired biasing force.

In an alternative embodiment, the proximal chamber 46 a of the cylinder48 may be filled with a compressible fluid, e.g., nitrogen, carbondioxide, or air, that may be pressurized to a predetermined pressure tobias the piston 50 away from the end wall 44. As fluid is introducedinto the distal chamber 46 b, the pressure of the fluid may exceed thepredetermined pressure, thereby causing the piston 60 to move proximallyand compress the fluid within the proximal chamber 46 a until thepressures within the chambers 46 a, 46 b are substantially equal to oneanother. In another alternative embodiment, an extension spring (notshown) may be provided in the distal chamber 54 b that may be coupled tothe piston 60 and the cylinder 48 at the end near the side port 44 tobias the piston 60 distally.

In yet another alternative, the hub subassembly 38 may not include abiasing mechanism, e.g., no spring 74 or compressible fluid. Instead,movement of the piston 60 may be controlled directly by the pressureand/or vacuum applied to inflate and/or deflate the balloon 80,respectively. For example, when a substantially incompressible fluid isdelivered into the lumen 18 of the outer member 12, the pressuredifferential between the piston 60 and the balloon 80 may initiallycause the piston 60 to slide proximally, thereby applying a proximaltensional load to the inner member 32 while the balloon 80 is expanding.When a negative pressure (vacuum) is applied to evacuate the fluid fromthe lumen 18 and deflate the balloon 80, the negative pressuredifferential between the piston 60 and the balloon 80 may initiallycause the piston 60 to slide distally, thereby applying a distalcompressive load to the inner member 32 while the balloon 80 isdeflating.

A desired pressure differential may be achieved by using a viscous fluid(i.e., a fluid more viscous than air) and/or by creating a restriction(not shown) within the lumen 18 distal to the side port 44 to delay thepressure from entering or exiting the balloon 80. This pressuredifferential may be particularly important when inflating and/ordeflating an everted balloon. In addition, or alternatively, aconstriction (not shown) may be provided within the lumen 18, e.g.,between the side port 44 and the distal end 16 to cause the piston 60 tomove before fluid is introduced into the balloon 80. Optionally,cooperating stops (not shown) may be provided for preventingover-inflation of the balloon 80, as described in application Ser. No.10/454,362 incorporated by reference herein.

Returning to FIGS. 1-3B, the balloon 80 is carried on the distal end 16of the outer member 12. Generally, the balloon 80 may be expandable froma collapsed state (shown in FIGS. 2A and 3A) to an expanded state (shownin FIGS. 2B and 3B) when a fluid or other inflation media (not shown) isintroduced into an interior 82 of the balloon 80. In an alternativeembodiment, other expandable members, e.g., a mechanically expandable orself-expanding member (not shown) may be provided instead of the balloon80, as described further below.

The balloon 80 may be formed from a flexible, substantially inelasticmaterial, e.g., a nonelastomeric material, such as PET, nylon,polyethylene, polyurethane, PEBAX, and the like, that may provide asubstantially noncompliant or semi-compliant balloon 80 that may expandto a predetermined size once a minimum pressure is introduced into theinterior 82. In this embodiment, the size of the balloon 80 in theexpanded state may be fixed. Alternatively, the balloon 80 may be formedfrom an elastic material, such that the size of the balloon 80 in theexpanded state is dependent upon the pressure or volume of fluiddelivered within the interior 82, as is known in the art.

The balloon 80 may include a proximal end 84, a distal end 86, and anexpandable intermediate section 88 defining the interior 82 of theballoon 80. The proximal end 84 of the balloon 80 may be attached to thedistal end 16 of the outer member 12, and the distal end 86 of theballoon 80 may be attached to the distal end 36 of the inner member 32.When the proximal end 84 of the balloon 80 is attached to the outermember 12, the interior 82 of the balloon 80 may communicate with thelumen 18 of the outer member 12. Alternatively, the proximal end 84 ofthe balloon 80 may extend proximally, replacing all or a portion of theouter member 12 (not shown). In a further alternative, the proximal end84 of the balloon 80 may be laminated or drawn over a stiffer proximalshaft (not shown).

As best seen in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the proximal end 84 of the balloon 80may overlie and be attached to the distal end 16 of the outer member 12,e.g., using an adhesive, sonic welding, crimping, an interference fit,and the like. The distal end 36 of the inner member 32 may extendthrough the interior 82 of the balloon 80 (i.e., through theintermediate section 88), and at least partially into the distal end 86of the balloon 80, optionally extending an entire length of the distalend 86 of the balloon 80. Similar to the proximal end 84, the distal end86 of the balloon 80 may be attached to the distal end 36 of the innermember 32, e.g., using an adhesive, sonic welding, crimping, acompressive sleeve, an interference fit, and the like.

An annular band of material, e.g., polyimide or PET, may be attached orotherwise provided over the proximal and distal ends 84, 86 of theballoon 80 to attach the ends 84, 86 to the outer and inner members 12,32. For example, a band may be provided around the proximal end 84 ofthe balloon 80 to prevent the balloon 80 from delaminating from theouter member 12 when the balloon 80 is inflated.

The distal end 86 of the balloon 80 may extend beyond the distal end 36of the inner member 32, e.g., to provide a floppy or otherwisesubstantially atraumatic tip for the occlusion member 4. For example,the distal end 86 of the balloon 80 may have a length of at least aboutfifty millimeters (50 mm), and the distal end 36 of the inner member 32may only extend about twenty millimeters (20 mm) or less into the distalend 86 of the balloon 80. Alternatively, the distal end 36 of the innermember 32 may extend beyond the distal end 86 of the balloon 80, and mayterminate in a substantially atraumatic tip (not shown). The atraumatictip may mimic the behavior of a standard “J”-tip guide wire, e.g., a0.035 inch or 0.038 inch wire, commonly used with introducer sheaths.

In the collapsed state, shown in FIGS. 2A and 3A, the balloon 80 mayconform substantially to the diameter of the outer member 12.Preferably, the proximal and distal ends 84, 86 of the balloon 80 andthe distance between the distal ends 16, 36 of the outer and innermembers 12, 32 are such that the balloon 80 is under slight axialtension in the collapsed state, thereby minimizing risk of the balloon80 expanding, kinking, or otherwise increasing in cross-section and/orcatching on anything contacted by the balloon 80.

The balloon 80 is expanded to the expanded state, shown in FIGS. 2B and3B, by introducing inflation media (not shown) into the lumen 18 of theouter member 12, and consequently into the interior 82 of the balloon80. As explained above, when fluid is introduced into the lumen 18, thefluid initially enters the interior 46 of the housing 40 (not shown, seeFIGS. 4 and 5), and consequently into the distal chamber 54 b of thecylinder 48 (also not shown, see FIGS. 4 and 5). As the fluid pressurewithin the distal chamber 54 b exceeds the bias of the spring 74 (orother biasing mechanism), the piston 60 may move proximally within thecylinder 48, thereby pulling the inner member 32 proximally.

As best seen in FIGS. 3A and 3B, proximal movement of the inner member32 relative to the outer member 12 causes the distal end 86 of theballoon 80 to move towards the proximal end 84 of the balloon 80. Thus,in the collapsed state, the intermediate section 88 of the balloon 80may have a length L_(C), while, in the expanded state, the intermediatesection 88 may have a length L_(E) that is substantially shorter thanL_(C). In the expanded state, the balloon 80 may have a diameter betweenabout four and ten millimeters (4-10 mm), and a length L_(E) betweenabout two and ten millimeters (2-10 mm). For example, in an exemplaryembodiment, the balloon may have a diameter of about six millimeters (6mm) at thirty pounds per square inch (30 psi) internal pressure and alength L_(E) of about four millimeters (4 mm).

In one embodiment, the balloon 80 at least partially everts in theexpanded state, i.e., the length L_(E) of the balloon 80 may besubstantially smaller than the diameter. Stated differently, in theexpanded state, the proximal and distal ends 84, 86 of the balloon 80may become sufficiently close to one another that they at leastpartially enter the interior 82 of the balloon 80, as shown in FIG. 3B,thereby defining a toroidal shape. This everted configuration (which mayalso be referred to as a “bagel balloon” configuration) may facilitatecreating hemostasis within a puncture in a wall of a body lumen (notshown) while allowing increased fluid flow and/or vessel perfusion tocontinue along the body lumen, as explained further below.

With reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 5, the cross-section of the distalchamber 54 b of the cylinder 48 may be substantially larger than across-section of the lumen 18 of the outer member 12. When a fluid isintroduced into the side port 44 of the hub subassembly 38 underpressure, the pressure may impose a proximal force on the distal surface66 of the piston 60. Because of the relatively large area of the distalchamber 54 b, fluid may flow easily into the distal chamber 54 b beforeflowing down the lumen 18 into the interior of the balloon 80. Thus, asfluid is introduced into the side port 44, a proximal force may beapplied to the piston 60 before or as the balloon begins to expand,thereby shortening the balloon 80 before or as it expands towards theexpanded state. Conversely, when fluid is evacuated out of the side port44, the fluid from the distal chamber 54 b of the cylinder 48 may beremoved before fluid is drawn up the lumen 18 and the balloon 80 beginsto collapse. The resulting vacuum may pull the piston 60 distally,causing the balloon 80 to elongate towards its collapsed length L_(C)before or as the balloon collapses towards the collapsed state. Thisfeature may be particularly useful for ensuring that the balloon 80 iscollapsed to as small a profile as possible when the balloon 80 iscollapsed from the expanded state to the collapsed state, e.g., tominimize disruption of any sealing compound deposited in the puncture asthe balloon 80 is withdrawn, as explained elsewhere herein.

In alternative embodiments, other expandable members may be provided onthe distal ends 16, 36 of the outer and/or inner members 12, 32. Forexample, instead of a single chamber balloon, as described above, aballoon may be provided that includes multiple chambers or “lobes” (notshown). Each lobe may be connected to the lumen 18 within the outermember 12 such that inflation media may enter each lobe to expand theballoon into a desired shape. Alternatively, the occlusion member 4 mayinclude multiple lumens (not shown) that communicate with one or morelobes such that the lobes may be independently expanded, if desired. Forexample, the lobes may expand away from one another transverselyrelative to the longitudinal axis 20, thereby defining a relatively flatannular or “flower” configuration that may provide a substantiallyfluid-tight seal, yet allow perfusion to continue along a vessel,similar to the apparatus and methods described further below.

In other embodiments, mechanically expandable members may be provided,rather than fluid-expandable members. For example, an expandable frame(not shown) may be coupled to the distal ends 16, 36 of the outer andinner members 12, 32 that may be expanded as the inner member 32 isdirected proximally relative to the outer member 12. A nonporousmembrane may cover or otherwise be connected to the frame such that themembrane is expanded with the frame, thereby providing a relatively flatannular member that may be used to provided temporary hemostasis duringdelivery of a sealing compound, as described further below. Exemplaryframes and membranes that may be used in conjunction with embodiments ofthe invention are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,782,860, 5,922,009,6,056,769, and 6,464,712, the disclosures of which are expresslyincorporated by reference herein.

For example, FIGS. 7A-7C show an exemplary embodiment of an expandableframe 180 that may be provided on an occlusion member 4.′ In FIG. 7C, anonporous membrane 189 coupled to the frame 180 is shown in phantom,while in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the nonporous membrane 189 is omitted forconvenience. The membrane 189 may cover all or a portion of the frame180. For example, in one embodiment, the membrane 189 may only cover aproximal portion of the frame 180.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the frame 180 may be created by forming a pluralityof longitudinal slits 182 in a tube, e.g., a Nitinol tube, using knownprocedures, such as laser cutting, to create struts 184 therebetween.Ends 186, 188 of the frame 180 may be coupled to respective distal ends16,′ 36′ of the outer and inner outer members 12,′ 32,′ similar to theends of the balloon 80 described above.

As shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C, as the inner member 32′ is directedproximally relative to the outer member 12,′ the struts 184 created bythe slits 182 may buckle and expand transversely, to expand the membrane189. Preferably, the slits 182 are formed to facilitate buckling of thestruts 184. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, an intermediate portion182 a of the slits 182 may be widened to provide a weak point 184 a atwhich the struts 184 may buckle. Alternatively or in addition, the slits182 may be curved at the intermediate portion 182 a, e.g., defining aportion of a sinusoidal wave (not shown), to further control buckling ofthe struts 184, and/or to provide strain relief. The frame 180 andmembrane 184 may be collapsed again by directing the inner member 32′distally relative to the outer member 12.′

To expand and/or collapse the frame 182, an actuator may be provided onthe occlusion member 4.′ For example, similar to the hub subassembly 38described with respect to the balloon 80, a piston-cylinder arrangementmay be provided on the proximal end 14′ of the outer member 12′ todirect the inner member 32′ proximally and/or distally when a fluid isdirected into the cylinder. In this embodiment, there would be no needfor the fluid to flow down the lumen of the outer member 12′ sinceexpansion of the expandable frame 180 depends only upon the relativepositions of the outer and inner members 12,′ 32.′

Alternatively, a mechanical switch 38′ may be provided, such as thatshown in FIGS. 8A and 8B. An outer housing 40′ may be coupled to theproximal end 14′ of the outer member 12,′ and a piston 60′ coupled tothe inner member 32′ and slidably disposed within the housing 40.′ A pin61′ may be coupled to the piston 60′ that extends through a “C” or “S”shaped slot 41′ in the housing 40.′ As shown in FIG. 8B, horizontalportions of the slot 41′ may correspond to the proximal and distalpositions in which the frame 182 (not shown, see FIGS. 7A-7C) isexpanded and collapsed, respectively. The pin 61′ may be slidhorizontally out of one of the proximal and distal positions and movedalong the slot 41′ to the other position. Optionally, a spring or othermechanism may be provided for biasing the piston 60′ distally orproximally, e.g., an extension spring 74′ may be provided for biasingthe frame 180 towards the collapsed state, similar to thefluid-activated mechanism described above.

In another alternative, the expandable frame may be biased to theexpanded state, and a cover, e.g., a catheter, sheath, sleeve, and thelike (not shown), may be provided for constraining the expandable framein the collapsed state. For example, the struts of the expandable framemay be provided from a shape memory and/or superelastic material, e.g.,Nitinol, that may be heat treated to the expanded state. The cover mayextend along the outer member of the occlusion member, e.g., from theexpandable frame towards the proximal end of the occlusion member.

Initially, e.g., during manufacturing and/or set-up, the cover may bedirected over the expandable frame to resiliently force the struts tocollapse towards the collapsed state. In the collapsed state, theocclusion member may be inserted into a puncture, e.g., through adelivery sheath or other tubular member, as described elsewhere herein.When it is desired to deploy the expandable frame, the cover may be atleast partially retracted to expose the expandable frame, whereupon thestruts may automatically expand towards the expanded state.

When it is desired to remove the occlusion member, the cover may beadvanced back over the expandable frame to collapse the struts.Alternatively, the struts may be sufficiently resilient that theocclusion member may be removed without covering the expandable framesuch that the struts contact the delivery sheath and collapse as theyare drawn into the delivery sheath as the occlusion member is withdrawn.

Turning to FIGS. 12A-12C, another embodiment of an occlusion member 204is shown. Similar to the previous embodiments, the occlusion member 204includes an outer member 212, an inner member 232 slidably coupled tothe outer member 212, a hub subassembly 238 (shown in FIG. 12B) forbiasing the inner member 232 relative to the outer member 212, and aballoon or other expandable member 280 (shown expanded in FIGS. 12A and12C) coupled to the inner and outer members 232, 212. Unlike theprevious embodiments, the hub subassembly 238 is self-contained, ratherthan requiring a syringe or other source of inflation media forexpanding the balloon 280, e.g., to improve ease of use and/or allowsingle user operability.

The outer member 212 may be an elongate tubular body including aproximal end 214, a distal end 216, and a lumen 218 extending betweenthe proximal and distal ends 214, 216, thereby defining a longitudinalaxis 220. The inner member 232 may be an elongate wire or other bodyincluding a proximal end 234 and a distal end 236. As best seen in FIG.12B, the inner member 232 is slidably received within the lumen 218 ofthe outer member 212 such that the distal end 236 of the inner member232 extends beyond the distal end 216 of the outer member 212. Theballoon 280 is coupled to the distal ends 216, 236 of the outer andinner members 212, 232 such that an interior of the balloon 280communicates with the lumen 218 of the outer member 212, similar to theembodiments described above.

Preferably, the inner member 232 is biased to move distally relative tothe outer member 212, i.e., from a proximal position to a distalposition (similar to the arrangement shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, e.g., tofacilitate collapsing the balloon 280). For example, the hub subassembly238 may bias the inner member 232 relative to the outer member 212,similar to the previous embodiments. Generally, as shown in FIG. 12B,the hub subassembly 238 includes a housing 240 extending proximally fromthe proximal end 214 of the outer member 212 and a piston 243 coupled tothe proximal end 234 of the inner member 232. In one embodiment, thepiston 243 is biased distally within a chamber 242 of the housing 240 bya spring 274.

The housing 240 also includes an actuator, such as a depression switch248, and a passage 244 connecting the chamber 242 with a reservoir 246.The switch 248 may include a handle or button 248 a and a piston 248 bextending from the handle 248 a into the reservoir 246. The reservoir246 may be filled with fluid, thereby allowing fluid to flow into andout of the chamber 242 and the lumen 218 of the outer member 212. Forexample, the reservoir 246 may be filled via valve 247 from a syringe orother source of inflation media (not shown), similar to the embodimentsdescribed above, to cause the balloon 280 to expand and collapse whenthe switch 247 is activated and deactivated, respectively. Preferably,the reservoir 246 is filled sufficiently with the piston 243 in itsdistal position and the balloon 280 collapsed without causing the piston243 to move distally and/or the balloon 280 to expand.

Thereafter, during use, when it is desired to expand the balloon 280,the switch 248 may be depressed to direct the piston 248 b into thereservoir 246 to force fluid from the reservoir 246 into the chamber 242and lumen 218, thereby directing the piston 243 proximally as theballoon 280 expands, similar to the previous embodiments. In a preferredembodiment, the switch 248 is a depression switch that may be depresseddistally to expand the balloon 280. When the switch 248 is depressedagain, a spring 249 coupled to the switch 248, e.g., surrounding thepiston 248 a, may direct the switch 248 proximally to its originalposition, thereby drawing fluid back into the reservoir 246 from thechamber 242 and lumen 218, and collapsing and extending the balloon 280as the piston 243 moves distally.

Alternatively, other switches, e.g., rotation switches and the like (notshown), may be provided instead of the depression switch 248. Inaddition or alternatively, other piston/spring arrangements may beprovided in the housing 240, similar to the previous embodiments.

In addition, the occlusion member 204 may include a cover 239 forconcealing and/or protecting the internal components of the housing 240,actuator, etc. As described more particularly below, the cover 239 mayinclude sets of grooves for connecting the occlusion member 204 to atensioner, such as that shown in FIG. 13. Optionally, a window 245 maybe provided in the cover 239 for observing the piston 243 within thehousing 240. For example, the window or cover may include graduatedmarkings (not shown) indicating a pressure level, and the piston 243 mayinclude a visual marker (also not shown). As the piston 243 slideswithin the housing 240, the visual marker on the piston 243 may alignwith the graduated markings along the window 245, thereby indicating thepressure within the housing 240. This may facilitate initially fillingthe reservoir 246 during set-up. In addition or alternatively, if aswitch having multiple positions is provided, the graduated markings mayindicate the position of the piston and the internal pressure as theswitch is ratcheted through the multiple positions.

Returning again to FIG. 1, the delivery device 8 may include a dualsyringe assembly 130 that includes two components of a sealing compound,a “Y” fitting 140, and a static mixer 110. The syringe assembly 130 mayinclude a pair of syringe barrels 132 including access ports or outlets136 and a plunger assembly 133 slidable into the barrels 132 to causethe components therein to be delivered through the outlets 136. In oneembodiment, the plunger assembly 133 includes a pair of plungers 134that are coupled to one another yet are received in respective barrels132. Thus, both plungers 134 may be manually depressed substantiallysimultaneously to deliver the components in the syringe barrels 132 outtogether.

The plunger assembly 133 may also include a trigger that may actuate theretraction assembly 10, as described further below. For example, asshown in FIG. 1, the trigger may be a shaft or piston 135 that extendsdistally between the plungers 134. Thus, when the plungers 134 areinserted into the barrels 132, the shaft 135 may extend distally betweenthe barrels 132.

The “Y” fitting 140 may include proximal sections 142 that communicatewith a single distal section 144. Thus, the “Y” fitting 140 may beconnectable to outlets 136 of the syringes 132 such that the componentsejected out of the syringes 132 may mix before being delivered into theside port 102 of the introducer sheath assembly 6. The proximal anddistal sections 142, 144 may include connectors, e.g., luer lockconnectors and the like (not shown), for connecting with outlets 136 ofthe syringes 132 and/or with the mixer 110, the tubing 106, and/or theside port 102 of the introducer sheath assembly 6. The “Y” fitting 140may have a variety of shapes, depending upon the performances propertiesand/or manufacturing parameters, and should not be restricted to aparticular shape, such as a true “Y” shape, but may still be referred toas a “Y” fitting.

The mixer 110 may be a tubular body including vanes or other internalstructures (not shown) that enhance the components mixing thoroughlytogether as they pass therethrough. Similar to the “Y” fitting 140, themixer 110 may include connectors (not shown) for releasably orsubstantially permanently connecting the mixer 110 to the “Y” fitting140, tubing 106, and the like.

In one embodiment, a liquid precursor polymer compound is provided ineach syringe barrel 132 of the syringe assembly 130 that, when mixedtogether, may be activated to form a hydrogel. Additional information onhydrogels and systems for delivering them are disclosed in U.S. Pat.Nos. 6,152,943, 6,165,201, 6,179,862, 6,514,534, and 6,379,373, and inco-pending application Ser. No. 09/776,120 filed Feb. 2, 2001, Ser. No.10/010,715 filed Nov. 9, 2001, and Ser. No. 10/068,807 filed Feb. 5,2002. The disclosures of these references and any others cited thereinare expressly incorporated by reference herein.

Optionally, the syringe assembly 130 may include one or more valvescoupled to the outlets 136 of the syringes 132. For example, a valve maybe used to connect the syringe barrels 132 to a source of sealingcomponents for introducing the components into the syringe barrels 132during set-up before sealing a puncture created during a procedure. Oncethe syringe barrels 132 are loaded, the valve may be closed tosubstantially seal the outlets 136, e.g., to temporarily store thecomponents during a procedure. Finally, the valve may be used to connectthe syringes 132 to the “Y” fitting 140 or other delivery line to allowthe components to be delivered into a puncture.

As shown in FIGS. 15, 16A, and 16B, an embodiment of a linear valve 310is shown that may be incorporated into a delivery device 308. As bestseen in FIG. 15, the valve 310 generally includes a piston or othermember 314 slidable within a housing 312. The housing 312 includes twosets of side ports 316 a, 316 b that may be aligned with lumens 318extending through the piston 314 when the piston 314 is in first andsecond positions, respectively. The lumens 318 may be coupled to theoutlets of respective syringe barrels of a syringe assembly (not shown)at end ports 320.

As best seen in FIGS. 16A and 16B, the linear valve 310 may be coupledto the delivery device 308, e.g., by tubing 324. For example, outlets336 of syringe barrels 332 may be coupled to the end ports 320 (shown inFIG. 15) by tubing 324 c. The first set of side ports 316 a may beconnected to a source of sealing components, such as vials 322 (notshown), by tubing 324 a. The second set of ports 316 b may be coupled toinlets 432 of a “Y” fitting 339 by tubing 324 b.

During use, the valve 310 may be placed in the first position shown inFIG. 16A, e.g., by directing actuator button 350 proximally. Sealingcompound, e.g., precursor polymer components, may then be loaded, mixed,and/or reconstituted from the vials 322 into respective syringe barrels332 via the tubing 324 a, side ports 316 a, lumens 318, end ports 320,and tubing 324 c. For example, in one embodiment, the syringe barrels332 may include liquid solvent and/or buffer solution, and the vials 322may include precursor polymer components in powder or other solid form.With the valve in the first position, the plunger assembly 333 may bedepressed, delivering the liquid buffer solution through the valve 310into the vials 322.

The valve 310 may then be moved to a closed position, e.g., anintermediate position such that the lumens 318 do not communicate witheither of the sets of side ports 316 a, 316 b. The vials 322 (e.g.,along with the entire delivery device 308) may then be shaken to mixand/or reconstitute the precursor polymer compounds into liquid form.The valve 310 may then be returned to the first position, and theplunger assembly 133 may be withdrawn from the syringe barrels 332 inorder to draw a desired amount of the reconstituted precursor componentsinto the barrels 332. For example, the barrels 332 may be loaded onlywith a predetermined amount of the components based upon anapproximation of the volume to be delivered into a puncture beingsealed. The barrels 332 may include volumetric graduation indicatorsthat may guide a user to draw the predetermined amount of sealingcomponents into the barrels 332.

When it is time to deliver the sealing components, the valve 310 may beplaced in the second position shown in FIG. 16B, e.g., by directing theactuator button 350 distally. In this position, the outlets 336 of thesyringes 332 communicate with the “Y” fitting 340, allowing the sealingcompound to be delivered via the tubing 324 c, end ports 320, lumens318, side ports 316 b, and tubing 324 b. The “Y” fitting 230 may coupledto a delivery line (not shown), as described elsewhere herein fordelivering the sealing compound into a puncture.

It will be appreciated that the valve 310 may facilitate a user fillingthe syringes 332 with a desired volume of sealing compound from a vial322 or other source with the valve 310 in a loading position, includingallowing mixing and/or reconstituting sealing components. During use,the valve 310 may simply be moved to a delivery position to allow thesealing compound to be delivered. In addition, if desired, the valve 310may have a third position where the lumens 318 do not communicate witheither of the side ports 316 a, 316 b, thereby substantially eliminatingthe risk of precursor polymer materials escaping from the syringes 332and/or mixing prematurely.

Such a valve 310 may be convenient to use for a manually infectedsystem, such as those described above. In addition or alternatively,such valves may be particularly convenient for an auto-injector system,i.e., a system that automatically delivers a sealing compound once thesystem is triggered or otherwise activated, as described further below.

It will be appreciated that other valve configurations may be providedinstead of the linear valve and tubing arrangement shown in FIGS. 15,16A, and 16B, such as a stopcock or rotating valve. For example, FIGS.17A-17C show an embodiment of a revolver valve 410 that may be provided,including a valve body 414 (shown in phantom) rotatable within a housing412. The valve 410 includes ports 420 (shown in phantom) that may beconnected to syringes of a delivery device (not shown), and first andsecond sets of ports 416 a, 416 b that may be connected to respectivevials and a “Y” fitting (also not shown), respectively, e.g., by tubing(not shown), similar to the previous embodiment.

Internal lumens or passages (not shown) in the body 414 communicate withthe ports 420 and may selectively communicate with the ports 416 a or416 b, depending upon the position of the body 414 relative to thehousing 412. For example, with the body 414 in the first position shownin FIG. 17A, the ports 420 do not communicate with either of the otherports 416 a, 416 b, and the valve 410 is closed or off. When the body414 is rotated to the second position shown in FIG. 17B, the ports 420communicate with the ports 416 a, allowing syringes to be filled fromvials, as described above. Finally, when the body 414 is rotated to thethird position shown in FIG. 17C, the ports 420 communicate with theports 416 b, creating a passage through which the precursor polymers maybe injected from syringes through a “Y” fitting and into a patient (notshown), as described above.

Turning to FIGS. 1 and 9, an embodiment of a retraction assembly 10 isshown that generally includes a housing 112 to which the occlusionmember 4 may be secured, a shaft 114 slidably coupled to the housing 112and the introducer sheath assembly 6, and a lock/release mechanism 116for controlling movement of the shaft 114 relative to the housing 112.The housing 112 may include one or more connectors (not shown) forsecuring the occlusion member 4 to the housing 112. For example, thehousing 112 may include a recess for receiving the hub subassembly 38 ofthe occlusion member 4 therein and/or one or more catches, detents, andthe like (not shown) for releasably or substantially permanentlysecuring the occlusion member 4 thereto. Alternatively, the occlusionmember 4 may be incorporated into or otherwise substantially permanentlyattached to the retraction assembly 10.

The introducer sheath assembly 6 may be slidably disposed over theocclusion member 4 before or after the occlusion member 4 is secured tothe retraction assembly 10. For example, the occlusion member 4 may bemounted to the retraction assembly 10 during manufacturing such that theshaft 114 extends distally adjacent to the outer member 12 of theocclusion member 4. The shaft 114 and the introducer sheath assembly 6may include one or more connectors for releasably or substantiallypermanently connecting the shaft 114 to the introducer sheath assembly6.

For example, a distal end 121 of the shaft 114 may include a hook, tab,or other element (not shown) that may be received in a hole or pocket(also not shown) in the flange 104 on the introducer sheath assembly 6.During a procedure, as described further below, the balloon 80 of theocclusion member 4 may be inserted into the housing 98 and advanceddistally through the lumen 96 of the introducer sheath 90 until theballoon 80 extends beyond the distal end 94 of the introducer sheath 90.The distal end 121 of the shaft 114 may then be attached to the flange104. Once the shaft 114 is attached to the flange 104, axial movement ofthe introducer sheath assembly 6 may be coupled to axial movement of theshaft 114.

Optionally, the apparatus 2 may include a cover (not shown) forconcealing the various components of the retraction assembly 10, alongwith the components of the occlusion member 4 and/or introducer sheathassembly 6 to which users do not need access.

With additional reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the housing 112 of theretraction assembly 10 may include a passage 118 therein that extendssubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis 20. A proximal end 120of the shaft 114 may be slidably received in the passage 118, while thedistal end 121 of the shaft 114 may be coupled to the introducer sheathassembly 6, e.g., to the flange 106, as described above. The shaft 114may be biased to move within the passage 118 to bias axial movement ofthe introducer sheath 90 coupled to the retraction assembly 10. Forexample, a compression spring 122 or other element may be provided inthe passage 118 for biasing the shaft 114 proximally relative to thehousing 112.

The lock/release mechanism 116 may include a lock member 124 that isdisposed within the housing 112 and that is movable transverselyrelative to the passage 118. A spring or other mechanism (not shown) maybe provided for biasing the lock member 124 outwardly such that arelease button 126 of the lock member 124 extends through an opening 128in the housing 112. The release button 126 may include a sloped outerproximal surface 126 a, e.g., to convert an axial force from the piston135 of the plunger assembly 130 into a transverse force for moving thelock member 124 inwardly.

The lock member 124 may include connectors for releasably securing theshaft 114 at one or more positions within the passage 118. For example,the lock member 124 may include an aperture 125 through which a portionof the shaft 114 may extend. When the shaft 114 is in a distal positionand the lock member 124 is in an outer locked position (shown in FIG.10A), the lock member 124 may engage the shaft 114 to prevent the shaft114 from moving axially within the passage 118. For example, a portionof the lock member 124 may simply frictionally engage the shaft 114.Alternatively, the lock member 124 and shaft 114 may include one or morecooperating detents (not shown) that engage one another when the lockmember 124 is in the outer locked position.

When the lock member 124 is pushed inwardly, e.g., when the releasebutton 126 is depressed (shown in FIG. 10B), the shaft 114 may bereleased from the lock member 124 and free to move axially within thepassage 118. Because of the bias provided by the spring 122, the shaft114 may move proximally within the passage 118 until the proximal end116 of the shaft 114 reaches the end of the passage 118 or encounters astop (not shown), preventing further proximal movement.

Because the shaft 114 is coupled to the introducer sheath assembly 6(not shown, see FIGS. 1 and 9), when the shaft 114 is locked in thedistal position, the introducer sheath 90 may be secured relative to theouter member 12. For example, in the distal position, the distal end 94of the introducer sheath 90 may be located a predetermined distanceproximal to the balloon 80 of the occlusion member 4, as shown inFIG. 1. Once the shaft 114 is released and moves proximally, theintroducer sheath 90 is directed proximally, thereby moving the distalend 94 of the introducer sheath 90 away from the balloon 80 of theocclusion member 4 (not shown). As explained further below, the distancethat the introducer sheath 90 is moved by the shaft 114 preferablycorresponds generally to the length of a puncture or other tract throughtissue that is being sealed by the apparatus 2.

Returning to FIG. 1, the lock member 124 is preferably releasedautomatically as sealing compound is being delivered from the deliverydevice 8. To accomplish this, in the embodiment shown, the deliverydevice 8 includes piston 135 extending from the plunger assembly 133. Ascan be seen in FIG. 1, the piston 135 is preferably aligned axially withthe release button 126 extending from the housing 112 of the retractionassembly 10. Thus, when a user depresses the plunger assembly 133, thepiston 135 may contact the sloped proximal surface 126 a of the releasebutton 126. As the plunger assembly 133 is depressed further, as shownin FIG. 10B, the piston 135 may bear against the sloped proximal surface126 a, thereby directing the release button 126 and, consequently, thelock member 124 inwardly to release the shaft 114.

Preferably, the distance between the piston 135 and the release button126 is predetermined such that the lock member 124 is released at adesired time during the stroke of the plunger assembly 133. For example,as explained further below, as the plunger assembly 135 is depressed,the components in the syringe barrels 132 may be injected through the“Y” fitting 140, into the housing 98 of the introducer sheath assembly6, and through the lumen 96 of the introducer sheath 90. Once the mixedsealing material begins to exit the distal end 94 of the introducersheath 90, the lock member 124 may be released to allow the introducersheath 90 to retract proximally, thereby filling a puncture within whichthe introducer sheath 90 is disposed with the sealing material.

Turning to FIG. 18A-18C, another embodiment is shown of an apparatus 502that includes an occlusion member 504, an introducer sheath 506, adelivery device 508, and a retraction assembly 510. The occlusion member504 may be releasably or substantially permanently attached to theretraction assembly 510, similar to the previous embodiments. Theintroducer sheath 506 may be a conventional introducer sheath or may besimilar to other embodiments described herein. The delivery device 508may be a dual-syringe assembly, including manual injection or automaticinjection, also similar to other embodiments described herein.

Similar to the previous embodiments, the retraction assembly 510 mayinclude a housing 512 to which the occlusion member 504 may be secured,a shaft 514 slidably coupled to the housing 512, and a lock/releasemechanism (not shown) for controlling movement of the shaft 514 relativeto the housing 512, e.g., based upon use of the delivery device 508.Also, similar to the previous embodiments, the occlusion member 504 mayinclude an outer member 512 and a balloon 580 carried on a distal end516 of the outer member 512. The occlusion member 504 may include one ormore of the other components described above with respect to otherembodiments.

Unlike the previous embodiments, the retraction assembly 510 includes adelivery sheath 530 that surrounds and is slidable relative to aproximal portion of the outer member 516. The delivery sheath 530includes a distal end 532 having a size and shape allowing the deliverysheath 530 to be inserted into a lumen 507 of the introducer sheath 506.

The delivery sheath 530 is coupled to the shaft 514 such that axialmovement of the delivery sheath 530 corresponds to movement of the shaft514. For example, a distal end 515 of the shaft 514 and a proximal end531 of the delivery sheath 530 may include cooperating connectors (notshown) for releasably or substantially permanently coupling the shaft514 and the delivery sheath 530 to one another, similar to theconnectors described above for the shaft 114 and introducer sheathassembly 6 shown in FIG. 1.

The delivery sheath 530 also includes a pair of detents 534 located apredetermined distance from the distal end 532 for coupling the deliverysheath 530 to the introducer sheath 506. In an exemplary embodiment,best seen in FIGS. 18B and 18C, each detent 534 is a strip of springmaterial, e.g., a pseudoelastic and/or superelastic material, such asstainless steel or Nitinol, that has a fixed end attached to thedelivery sheath 530, and a free end 534 a formed into a loop.Alternatively, both ends of the detent may be fixed, yet define a loop(not shown). Because of the elasticity of the spring material, thedetent 534 may be collapsed against the delivery sheath 530, e.g., ifthe loop is unrolled or collapsed, yet may resume its looped shape whenany external force is removed.

As described above with respect to earlier embodiments, the introducersheath 506 may include a housing 550 defining a cavity 552 and includinga side port 554 communicating with the cavity 552 and, consequently,with the lumen 507 of the introducer sheath 506. The housing 550 mayalso include one or more seals (not shown) for substantially sealing thecavity 552, yet allowing one or more instruments, e.g., the occlusionmember 504 and/or the delivery sheath 530 to be inserted into the lumen507.

As shown in FIG. 18B, when the delivery sheath 530 is advanced into theintroducer sheath 506, the detents 534 may contact the housing 550,causing the free ends 534 a to unroll as the detents 534 enter thehousing 550. Once the detents 534 are located completely within thecavity 552, the free ends 534 a may resume their looped shape.Alternatively, if both ends of the detents are fixed, the detents maysimply collapse as they are directed into the housing 550 and thenresilient return to their looped shape once located within the cavity552. Thereafter, if the delivery sheath 530 is directed proximally awayfrom the introducer sheath 506, the detents 534 may contact the wall ofthe housing 550, preventing the delivery sheath 530 from being removedeasily from the introducer sheath 530. Thus, proximal movement of thedelivery sheath 530 will cause proximal movement of the introducersheath 506.

Although a pair of detents 534 are shown opposite one another on thedelivery sheath 530, it will be appreciated that one or more detents maybe provided at one or more locations around the delivery sheath 530 forcoupling to the introducer sheath 506. In addition or alternatively,additional connectors may be provided, such as ramped tabs and the likeinstead of the spring loops described above.

Optionally, as shown in FIGS. 18B and 18C, the delivery sheath 530 mayalso include an annular seal 536 adjacent to, and preferably, distal tothe detents 534. The seal 536 may be a solid mass of resilient material,e.g., plastic, foam rubber, and the like, e.g., formed into a taperedwedge shape contoured to provide sufficient interference with theinterior of the housing 550. Alternatively, the seal 536 may be aballoon or other membrane that may be filled with a desired volume offluid, e.g., saline, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and the like. When thedelivery sheath 530 is inserted into the introducer sheath 506, the seal536 may compress sufficiently to allow the seal 536 to enter the cavity552. As the delivery sheath 530 is advanced to engage the detents 534within the housing 550, the seal 536 may substantially engage aninterior of the housing 550 and/or introducer sheath 506. Thus, the seal536 may substantially seal the lumen 507 of the introducer sheath 506from fluid flow distally between the delivery sheath 530 and theintroducer sheath 506. One advantage of such a seal 536 is that it mayallow a delivery sheath 530 having a fixed size to be inserted into avariety of sized introducer sheaths, while still substantially sealingthe lumen of the introducer sheaths.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 18B and 18C, the delivery sheath 530may include one or more openings 538 (a pair being shown) adjacent thedetents 534 and communicating with a lumen 540 extending to the distalend 532 of the sheath 530. In this embodiment, the delivery sheath 530may have sufficient length such that, when the delivery sheath 530 isfully received in the introducer sheath 506, the distal end 532 mayextend beyond the distal end (not shown) of the introducer sheath 506.Sealing compound may be injected into the side port 554 of the housing550 using any of the delivery devices described herein. With the lumen507 of the introducer sheath 506 sealed by the seal 536, the injectedsealing compound may be forced through the openings 538 into the lumen540 and out the distal end 532 of the delivery sheath 530.

Optionally, the delivery sheath 530 and the occlusion member 4 mayinclude cooperating detents, connectors, or other features (not shown)for limiting distal movement of the delivery sheath 530 relative to theocclusion member 4. For example, the delivery sheath 530 may be movabledistally until the cooperating features contact one another, e.g., suchthat the distal end 532 of the delivery sheath 530 is located a minimumdistance from the balloon 80 of the occlusion member 4, e.g., at leastabout five millimeters (5 mm). Such features may prevent the deliverysheath 530 from being directed against or too close to the balloon 80,which may increase the risk of sealing material being delivered into thevessel (not shown), as explained further below.

Alternatively, if the seal 536 and openings 538 are eliminated from thedelivery sheath 530, the length of the delivery sheath 530 may bereduced to have a relatively short length compared to the introducersheath 506, e.g., sufficient to engage the detents 534 within thehousing 550. In this alternative, when sealing compound is injected intothe side port 554, the sealing compound may pass along the lumen 507 ofthe introducer sheath 506 and out its distal end (not shown). Thus, ashortened delivery sheath may simply be a connector for couplingmovement of the introducer sheath 506 to the retraction assembly 510.

In a further alternative, a sheath, similar to the delivery sheath 530described above, may be utilized in an embodiment without a retractionassembly. In such an embodiment, the delivery sheath may include anenlarged handle on its proximal end to facilitate manual manipulation ofthe delivery sheath once it is coupled to the introducer sheath. Forexample, the delivery sheath may be inserted into the introducer sheathuntil the detents enter the housing of the introducer sheath, therebycoupling subsequent movement of the introducer sheath to the deliverysheath.

Optionally, the delivery sheath may include a seal in its proximal end,allowing an occlusion member to be inserted into the delivery sheath,and consequently, through the introducer sheath, using the methodsdescribed elsewhere herein. Thus, the delivery sheath may be drawnproximally while sealing compound is being delivered through theintroducer sheath, thereby manually retracting the introducer sheath andat least partially filling a puncture with sealing compound.

Turning to FIGS. 11A-11F, an exemplary method for sealing a passagethrough tissue is shown using an apparatus similar to that shown inFIG. 1. In the shown embodiment, the passage is a percutaneous puncture190 extending from a patient's skin 192 to a blood vessel or other bodylumen 194. For example, the vessel 194 may be a peripheral artery, e.g.,a femoral artery, a carotid artery, and the like. It will be appreciatedthat the apparatus and methods in accordance with the variousembodiments of the present invention may be used to seal other passageswithin a patient's body.

Initially, as shown in FIG. 11A, the introducer sheath 90 of theintroducer sheath assembly 6 may be placed within the puncture 190 suchthat the distal end 94 is disposed within the vessel 192 without theother components of the apparatus 2. The introducer sheath 90 may beintroduced within the puncture 190 using conventional methods, such asthose used to insert known introducer sheaths. Alternatively, a separateintroducer sheath (not shown) may be inserted into the puncture 190using known procedures.

One or more instruments (not shown) may be advanced through theintroducer sheath 90 (or separate introducer sheath) and into the vessel194, e.g., to perform one or more diagnostic and/or therapeuticprocedures within the patient's body. The one or more instruments mayinclude catheters, e.g., balloon catheters, stent delivery catheters,imaging catheters, and the like, guidewires, and/or other devices. Uponcompleting the procedure(s), any instruments may be removed and thepuncture 190 may be sealed using an apparatus, such as that shown inFIGS. 1-6 and described above.

Turning to FIG. 11B, with the balloon 80 in the collapsed state, theocclusion member 4 may be inserted through the lumen 96 of theintroducer sheath 90 until the balloon 80 is disposed within the vessel194. Once the occlusion member 4 is inserted sufficient distance, theretraction assembly 10 may be coupled to the introducer sheath assembly6. For example, the shaft 114 may include a hook or other connector (notshown) that may be easily coupled to the flange 104 of the introducersheath assembly 6, as described above. Alternatively, if a separateintroducer sheath is provided, this introducer sheath may be removed,and the apparatus 2, preassembled by the manufacturer or by the userbefore use (e.g., such that the introducer sheath assembly 6 is disposedover the occlusion member 4 and is coupled to the retraction assembly10), may be inserted into the puncture 190. In a further alternative, aretraction assembly with a delivery sheath surrounding the occlusionmember (not shown) may be coupled to the introducer sheath 90 bycoupling the delivery sheath to the introducer sheath 90, as describedabove.

With the balloon 80 collapsed, the occlusion member 4 may be insertedthrough the introducer sheath 90 into the puncture 190, e.g., freely orover a guidewire (not shown), until the balloon 80 exits the distal end94 of the introducer sheath 90 and is advanced into the puncture 190.Optionally, the apparatus 2 may include one or more markers, e.g.,radiopaque markers (not shown) on the outer member 12 of the occlusionmember 4 and/or on the introducer sheath 90, to facilitate monitoringinsertion of the apparatus 2 using external imaging, e.g., fluoroscopy,ultrasound, magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”), and the like.Alternatively or in addition, one or more visual markers (not shown) maybe provided, e.g., on the proximal end 14 of the outer member 12 and/orthe introducer sheath 90.

As shown in FIG. 11C, once the balloon 80 is disposed within the vessel194, the balloon 80 may be expanded to the expanded state. For example,fluid may be introduced into the side port 44 from a syringe 160 throughthe outer member 12 and into the balloon 80. As explained above, asfluid is introduced into the side port 44, the inner member 32 may bemoved proximally relative to the outer member 12, thereby causing theballoon 80 to shorten as it expands. Preferably, the fluid is introduceduntil the piston 60 moves proximally and markers 77, 78 are aligned withone another, as shown in FIG. 11C, to inform the user that a desiredpressure has been reached and/or that the balloon 80 has been expandedto a desired size. Alternatively, the occlusion member 4 may include apressure gauge or other indicator (not shown) that may provide the uservisual confirmation that the balloon 80 has been expanded to a desiredsize and/or configuration. Alternatively, the occlusion member mayinclude a reservoir of fluid that is delivered into the balloon 80 whenan actuator is activated, as described elsewhere herein with respect toFIGS. 12A-12C.

Turning to FIG. 11D (which omits the proximal components of theapparatus 2 merely for simplicity), the apparatus 2 may be partiallywithdrawn from the puncture 190 with the balloon 80 in the expandedstate, i.e., until the balloon 80 engages the puncture 190. Preferably,the balloon 80 substantially seals the puncture 190, i.e., substantiallyisolating the puncture 190 from the interior of the vessel 194. Thus,the apparatus 2 may provide temporary hemostasis, e.g., preventing bloodfrom passing through the puncture 190. Even without the additional stepsthat follow, the apparatus 2 may be used to provide hemostasis inemergency situations in order to minimize loss of blood until a puncturevictim may be treated.

In one embodiment, the balloon 80 at least partially everts in theexpanded state, as described above. This everted configuration may beparticularly useful for providing hemostasis, while still allowing bloodflow to continue along the vessel 194. For example, as shown in FIG.11D, the diameter of the balloon 80 may be substantially greater thanits length in the expanded state. Thus, when the balloon 80 is pulledinto engagement with the wall 196 of the vessel 194, at least a portionof the vessel 194 lumen may remain unobstructed, as shown.

Optionally, in order to maintain the balloon 80 substantially againstthe puncture. 190 without requiring an individual to hold the apparatus2, a tensioner 250 may be provided that may apply a substantiallyconstant proximal force to the apparatus 10 to maintain the balloon 80substantially against the puncture 190. For example, as shown in FIGS.13, 14A, and 14B, the tensioner 250 may include a base portion or bottomfoot 251, a support 252, and a saddle or top foot 256. The base portion251 may be substantially flat or shaped to conform to the patient'sanatomy, e.g., to follow the contour or otherwise lie on a patient's leg(not shown) or other skin 192 overlying the puncture 190.

The saddle 256 may include a slot 258 or other mechanism for grasping orotherwise engaging the occlusion member 204. For example, as shown inFIGS. 14A and 14B, the saddle 256 may include fingers 257 defining theslot 258. The slot 258 may have a width large enough to receive theocclusion member 204 therein, e.g., to receive a cover 239 surroundingthe hub subassembly 238, while the fingers 257 are slidably received ingrooves 241 in the cover 239.

The support 252 may include a substantially rigid stabilizer wire orother shaft 253, and a spring housing 254 that is slidably coupled tothe saddle 256. The spring housing 254 may allow the length of thetensioner 250 to be adjustable while maintaining a substantiallyconstant and known force on the occlusion member 204, thereby allowingthe distance between the base support 251 and the saddle 256 to beadjusted based upon particular anatomy encountered during a procedurewhile maintaining a desired tension on the occlusion member 204.

As best seen in FIG. 13, the spring housing 254 may include a cylinder260 extending from the stabilizer wire 253 and a piston 262 slidablyreceived therein that extends from the saddle 256. A spring 264 or otherbiasing mechanism may be provided in the cylinder 260 for biasing thepiston 262, and consequently, the saddle 256, away from the foot 251.Flange 266 may extend from the cylinder 260, allowing the bias of thespring 264 to be overcome by manual force, thereby causing the saddle256 to move towards the foot 251, i.e., shortening the tensioner 250.

During use, the base portion 251 may be placed in contact with thepatient, e.g., set on the patient's skin 192 adjacent to the puncture190 (not shown, see generally, e.g., FIGS. 11A-11F). The saddle 256 maybe pushed towards the foot 251 by moving flange 266 towards flange 265,e.g., until the piston 262 bottoms out in the cylinder 260. An occlusionmember, such as 4 or 204, may be received in the saddle 256, e.g., byaligning the fingers 257 with a corresponding groove 241 in the cover239. Once the occlusion member 4, 204 is engaged, the flange 266 may bereleased, and the bias of spring 264 may direct the saddle 256 away fromthe foot 251. Once the occlusion member 4, 204 resists movement of thesaddle 256, i.e., matching the force from the spring 264, the tensioner250 will stabilize and maintain the desired tension on the occlusionmember 4, 204 against the wall 196 of the vessel 194.

Once the tensioner 250 is adjusted, the occlusion member 4 or 204 may bereleased, and the tensioner 250 may pull the occlusion member 4 or 20410 proximally with sufficient tension to maintain the balloon 80 incontact with the wall 196 of the vessel 194. If necessary, the biasingsupport 252 may be adjusted to increase or decrease the distance betweenthe saddle 256 and the base support 252 and/or to increase or decreasethe tension as necessary for the anatomy encountered. Thus, the tensionimposed by the tensioner 250 may apply a desired tensile force to theballoon 80 to maintain hemostasis while preventing the balloon 80 frombeing pulled into the puncture 190 and/or preventing the wall 196 of thevessel 194 from excessive tenting. Preferably, the spring 264 has aconstant spring constant as it compresses and extends, thereby applyinga constant force to the balloon 80.

It will be appreciated that other configurations may be provided for thetensioner 250 than that shown in FIGS. 13-14B. For example, the saddlemay be slidable along the shaft connected to the foot, and a constantforce spring, e.g., a coil spring, extension spring, compression spring,and the like, may be coupled between the saddle and the shaft to biasthe saddle away from the foot or otherwise as desired. Alternatively,the spring may provided a variable force along the movement range of thesaddle, e.g., providing greater or lesser resistance as the saddle isdirected towards the foot.

Turning to FIG. 11E, once the occlusion member 4 is adjusted to seal thepuncture 190 from the vessel 194, a sealing compound 146 may bedelivered into the puncture 190. Preferably, the sealing compound is aliquid or other flowable material that may be injected into the puncture190. Because of the hemostasis provided by the balloon 80, the sealingcompound 146 may be delivered without substantial concern that thesealing compound 146 may leak into the vessel 194. As explained above,relative movement of the introducer sheath 90 and the occlusion member 4may be limited to maintain a minimum distance between the distal end 96of the introducer sheath 90 and the balloon 80. This may reduce the riskof sealing material being injected into the vessel 194.

The sealing compound may include multiple precursor polymer componentsthat create a hydrogel when mixed together, as described above. Such asealing compound may be particularly useful, because it may besubstantially harmless to the patient even if it somehow leaks into thevessel 194. Unlike collagen or other hemostasis-promoting materials,which may cause thrombosis and/or embolism when exposed to blood withina vessel, hydrogel polymers may not promote hemostasis within a bloodvessel. In fact, such hydrogels, if leaked into a vessel, may simplydilute and flow away, where they may be metabolized naturally withoutsubstantial risk of creating thrombus. This is another reason why it maybe useful to seal the puncture 190 with an everted balloon 80, whilestill allowing fluid to continue to flow along the vessel 194, asdescribed above. In case the hydrogel leaks into the vessel 194 aroundthe balloon 80, blood flow may dilute and carry the hydrogel away, whereit may be safely metabolized naturally.

As shown in FIG. 11E, a two-part sealing compound is shown containedwithin the dual syringe assembly 130. The precursor polymers or othercomponents in the syringe barrels 132 may be mixed or otherwise preparedbefore the procedure using known methods. The plunger assembly 133 maybe manually depressed, thereby advancing the plungers 134 substantiallysimultaneously, and delivering the precursor polymer compoundssimultaneously. The precursor polymers may mix in the “Y” fitting 140into a liquid sealing compound 146, and then be delivered into the sideport 102 of the introducer sheath 90 via the mixer 110 and tubing 106.Alternatively, an auto-injector device (not shown) may be provided fordelivering the precursor polymers at a desired substantially continuousrate, as described further below.

The liquid sealing compound 146 may be injected through the lumen 96 ofthe introducer sheath 90 out the distal end 94 into the puncture 190. Asthe plunger assembly 133 is depressed, the piston 135 may slidablyengage the release button 126, e.g., bearing against the sloped proximalsurface 126 a (not shown, see FIGS. 10A and 10B). This causes the lockmember 124 to move inwardly, thereby releasing the shaft 114, asdescribed above. Once the shaft 114 is released, the spring 122 maycause the shaft 114 to move proximally. This may cause the introducersheath 90 to be withdrawn proximally from the puncture 190 as thesealing compound 146 is delivered, thereby filling the puncture tractwith the sealing compound 146, as shown in FIG. 11F. Proximal movementof the shaft 114 is preferably limited, e.g., to prevent the introducersheath 90 from being withdrawn completely from the puncture 190 as thesealing compound 146 is delivered.

It will be appreciated that other devices may be used for deliveringsealing material into the puncture 190. For example, other apparatus fordelivering liquid sealing compounds, including single or multiple lumens(not shown), may be advanced over the occlusion member 4 instead of thesingle lumen introducer sheath 90.

Turning to FIG. 11F, once the sealing compound 146 is delivered, thesealing compound 146 may be given sufficient time to at least partially(or fully) solidify or gel, e.g., between about five and one hundredeighty (5-180) seconds. The balloon 80 may then be deflated to thecollapsed state and then withdrawn from the puncture 190. As describedabove, the balloon 80 may preferably be extended distally as itcollapses to facilitate its removal through the sealing compound 146delivered into the puncture 190. Optionally, to facilitate removing theocclusion member 4, a lubricious coating (not shown) may be provided onthe exterior of the outer member 12, sheath 530 (not shown, see FIG.18A), and/or balloon 80, e.g., Dow 360 silicone fluid. Such a coatingmay prevent the sealing compound 146 from sticking to or otherwisepulling on the occlusion member 4 as it is withdrawn.

Optionally, external pressure may be applied, e.g., by pressing manuallyagainst the skin 192 overlying the vessel 194, e.g., to at leastpartially suppress flow through the vessel 194. The balloon 80 (and therest of the apparatus 10) may be removed, and the external pressure maybe maintained for sufficient time to allow the sealing compound 146 tosolidify further, e.g., between about ten and one hundred eighty(10-180) seconds. The sealing compound may expand, e.g., due to itselasticity and/or due to further solidification, thereby substantiallysealing the relatively small tract remaining upon removing the apparatus10.

Alternatively, the tensioner 150 (not shown, see FIGS. 13A-14B) may beused to maintain tension on the balloon 80 for a prolonged period oftime with the balloon 80 providing temporary hemostasis to allow thehydrogel to cure fully in the puncture 190 before removing the apparatus10.

Turning to FIGS. 19A-19C, an exemplary embodiment of a delivery device608 for automatically delivering sealing compound is shown that may beprovided instead of a manually injected system, such as those describedabove. In the embodiment shown, the delivery device 608 (which may alsobe referred to as an auto-injector assembly) includes a pair of syringebarrels 632 including outlets 636 and defining a longitudinal axis 620.It will be appreciated that the delivery device 608 may include one ormore syringe barrels, depending upon the type of sealing compound beingdelivered.

A plunger assembly 133 is slidable axially relative to the barrels 636.In one embodiment, the plunger assembly 633 includes a pair of plungers634 that are coupled to one another yet are received in respectivebarrels 632. Thus, both plungers 134 may be advanced into or retractedfrom the barrels 632 substantially simultaneously with one another.

The delivery device 608 also includes a spring mechanism 640 (best seenin FIG. 19B) that may be activated to cause the plunger assembly 633 toadvance automatically into the barrels 632. As shown, the springmechanism 640 includes a spring 642 disposed around a shaft 644extending from the plunger assembly 633. The spring 642 is disposedadjacent to a hub or barrel plate 646 extending between the barrels 632,thereby fixing a first or upper end of the spring 642 relative to thebarrels 632. The shaft 644 extends distally from the plunger assembly633 between the barrels 632, and terminates in an enlarged head 648.Preferably, the head 648 is larger than the diameter of the spring 642and/or includes one or more radial elements (not shown) against whichthe spring 642 may push when released.

The spring mechanism includes an actuation button 650 that may becoupled to an interference plate 652 that extends transversely relativeto the longitudinal axis 620 such that the spring 642 is disposedbetween the plate 646 and the interference plate 652. In the embodimentshown, the actuation button 650 and interference plate 646 areintegrally molded or otherwise formed as a single piece, althoughalternatively, they may be separate pieces attached to one another.

In one embodiment, the spring 642 is a compression spring that iscompressed when disposed initially between the plate 646 and theinterference plate 652. The actuation button 650 and interference plate652 are movable from a first locked or outer position, and a secondrelease or inner position.

The interference plate 652 includes a passage 654 extending axiallytherethrough that has cross-section larger than the diameter of thespring 652. In the first position, the passage 654 is offset from thespring 652, such that a second or lower end of the spring 652 bearsagainst the interference plate 652. When the actuation button 650 isdirected to the second position, the passage 654 becomes aligned withthe spring 652. This action releases the spring 652, allowing the springto pass through the passage 654 and push against the head 648, therebydirecting the head 648, and consequently the shaft 644, distallyrelative to the barrels 632. As the shaft 644 moves distally, theplunger assembly 633 is advanced into the barrels 632 to inject thesealing compounds out of the barrels 632 through the outlets 636.

Optionally, the delivery device 608 may include a cover or casing 656that may at least partially enclose the spring mechanism 640 and/or thebarrels 632. In addition, the delivery device 608 may include a valve,tubing, containers storing sealing components, a “Y” fitting, and/or amixer, similar to the embodiments described above. For example, FIGS.16A and 16B show an embodiment of a delivery device 308, including aspring mechanism 340 similar to that described above.

With reference to the delivery device 308 shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B,during use, sealing components may be provided in the barrels 332 withthe plunger assembly 333 in a first proximal position. For example,initially, one or more solvents, buffer solutions, and/or other sealingcomponents may be provided in the syringe barrels 332, e.g., filledduring manufacturing. Vials 320 may be provided that include additionalsealing components that may be mixed or reconstituted with the sealingcomponents in the barrels 332.

Shortly before delivering the sealing components, the valve 310 may bemoved to a first position wherein the outlets 336 of the barrels 332communicate with the vials 322. The plunger assembly 333 may be manuallyadvanced into the barrels 332 to inject the sealing components in thebarrels 332 into the vials 322. In one embodiment, the solvents orbuffer solutions in the barrels 332 are injected into the vials 322 thatinclude solid polymer precursor components, for example, in powder orother solid form, to reconstitute or otherwise mix the precursor polymercomponents.

Once the buffer solution is injected into the vials 322, the vials 322may be shaken, e.g., by shaking the entire delivery device 308, todissolve the polymer precursor components in the one or more buffersolutions. Once the sealing components are mixed and/or reconstituted,the plunger assembly 333 may be manually withdrawn at least partiallyfrom the barrels 332 to draw the mixed sealing components from the vials322 into the barrels 332. Preferably, the plunger assembly 333 iswithdrawn a predetermined distance to a load a desired volume into thebarrels 332 based upon the volume of the puncture to be sealed.

Once the reconstituted/mixed sealing components are loaded in thebarrels 332, the valve 320 may be moved to a closed position, and thedelivery device 308 may be set aside, e.g., while one or more medicalprocedures may be performed on the patient. Upon completing theprocedure(s), the valve 320 may be moved to a delivery position, whereinthe outlets 336 communicate with the “Y” fitting 339 and delivery line(not shown) that communicates with a delivery sheath (also not shown),such as any of the devices described elsewhere herein.

At the time of delivery, the actuation button 350 may be activated torelease the spring 342, which may then push on the shaft 344, therebyadvancing the plunger assembly 333 into the barrels 332, and injectingthe sealing components out of the barrels 332. One advantage of anauto-injector delivery device, such as those described herein, mayprevent unintended pauses during delivery. Such interruptions riskoccluding the delivery line, i.e., the “Y” fitting, mixer, or otherpassages through which the sealing compound passes. This may be aparticular concern where the sealing compound has a relatively short gelor set-up time. The spring constant of the spring mechanism may bepredetermined to ensure that the sealing compound is delivered in adesired time, i.e., before the sealing compound gels and ceases to flowthrough the delivery line.

Turning to FIGS. 20A-20F, another embodiment of an auto-injectorassembly 708 is shown. Similar to the previous embodiment, the assembly708 includes a pair of syringe barrels 732 including outlets 736 and aplunger assembly 733 slidable relative to the barrels 732. The plungerassembly 733 includes a pair of plungers 734 slidably disposed in thebarrels 732, and a pair of pistons 735 slidable within the barrels 732relative to the plungers 734. Springs 637 are also provided within thebarrels 732 that are coupled between the plungers 734 and the pistons735. It will be appreciated that the barrels 732, plungers 734, and/orpistons 735 may include one or more connectors, e.g., detents, stops,and the like (not shown) that limit relative movement of the partsrelative to one another and/or prevent the assembly 708 from comingapart during use.

The springs 737 may have a predetermined spring constant such that theplungers 734 and pistons 735 may be directed towards one another, whenaxial forces are applied. When the forces are removed, the springs 737bias the plungers 734 and pistons 735 to move away from one another toreturn to the springs 737 a relaxed state.

The plungers 734 and/or the barrels 732 may include cooperatingconnectors or other locking elements (not shown) that may be selectivelyactivated to secure the plungers 734 relative to the barrels 732, e.g.,to lock the plungers 734 in a depressed position where the plungers 734are advanced into the barrels 732. The locking elements may includecooperating detents, ratchets, latches, and the like (not shown), as isknown in the art.

In one embodiment, shut-off valves (not shown) may be provided in theoutlets 736 to selectively open and close the outlets 736.Alternatively, a multiple port valve, such as those shown in FIGS. 15and 17A-17C, may be provided that eliminate the need to changeconnections to the outlets 736 during a procedure.

Initially, before use, the assembly 708 is provided with sealingcomponents in the barrels 708, e.g., one or more solvents or buffersolutions, as shown in FIG. 20A. The barrels 708 may include apredetermined volume intended to be mixed with powdered or other solidpolymer precursor components, e.g., provided in vials 322, similar tothe previous embodiments. With the barrels 708 filled with the sealingcomponents, the pistons 735 and plungers 735 may be retracted from thebarrels 708 such that the springs 737 are substantially relaxed.Alternatively, if the springs 737 are not fully relaxed, the valve 710may be closed to prevent the sealing components from being injected outof the barrels 708 by the potential of the springs 737.

Shortly before use of the assembly 708, e.g., while preparing for amedical procedure involving creation of a puncture through tissue thatis to be sealed, the valve 710 may be positioned such that the outlets736 communicate with the vials 722. In one embodiment, the vials 722 maybe provided already attached to the assembly 708, similar to theembodiment shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B. Alternatively, the vials 722 maybe attached to the valve 710 or even directly to the outlets 736.

As shown in FIG. 20B, the sealing components in the barrels 732 may beinjected into the vials 722 by depressing the plunger assembly 733,advancing the pistons 735 distally. The sealing components may be mixedand/or reconstituted in the vials 722, similar to the previousembodiments. Once mixed, the plunger assembly 733 may be retracted todraw a desired volume of the mixed sealing components into the barrels732, as shown in FIG>20C.

The assembly 708 is then prepared, and the valve 710 may be closed tostore the sealing components during the procedure. If the valve 710 is amultiple port valve, a delivery line, e.g., including “Y” fitting 739may already be connected to the valve 710, similar to the embodimentshown in FIGS. 16A and 16B. If the valve 710 is simply a shut-off valve,the vials 722 may be disconnected, and the “Y” fitting 739 and/or otherdelivery line may be connected to the valve 710, as shown in FIG. 20D.

At any time, e.g., when it is time to deliver the sealing components inthe barrels 732, the plunger assembly 733 may be depressed while thevalve 710 remains closed, causing the plungers 734 to advance into thebarrels 732. Because the valve 710 is closed, the pistons 735 are unableto move substantially, thereby causing the springs 737 to compress, asshown in FIG. 20E. Once the plunger assembly 733 is depressed to adesired position, the plunger assembly 733 may be locked to prevent thesprings 737 from pushing the plunger assembly 733 back out of thebarrels 732. This may involve closing a latch or other connector (notshown). Alternatively, the plunger assembly 733 may include cooperatingratchets (also not shown), e.g., on the plungers 734, that may allow theplungers 734 to advance into but not retract out of the barrels 732.

With the plunger assembly 733 locked in the advanced position shown inFIG. 20E, the springs 737 are under compression, and are thereforebiased to direct the pistons 735 distally into the barrels 732. When thedelivery line is established, e.g., including an introducer sheath,delivery sheath, and the like disposed within the puncture to be sealed(not shown), the valve 710 may be opened or moved to the deliveryposition such that the outlets 736 communicate with the “Y” fitting 739and/or delivery line.

As shown in FIG. 20F, the bias of the springs 737 push the pistons 735distally to inject the sealing components out of the barrels 732 throughthe outlets 736. The sealing components may then mix and/or otherwisetravel through the delivery line into the puncture, similar to theembodiments described above.

One advantage of the internal spring arrangement of the embodiment ofFIGS. 20A-20F is that a cover may not be needed, because the springs arelocated within the barrels. In contrast, the external spring arrangementof FIGS. 19A-19C, because the spring 642 is outside the barrels 632, acover 656 may be desired to conceal and protect the spring 642 fromdamage.

The foregoing detailed description includes passages that are chiefly orexclusively concerned with particular features or aspects of particularembodiments of the invention. It should be understood that this is forclarity and convenience, and that a particular feature may be relevantin more than just the passage in which it is disclosed and embodiment inwhich it is described. Similarly, although the various figures anddescriptions herein relate to specific embodiments of the invention, itis to be understood that where a specific feature is disclosed in thecontext of a particular figure or embodiment, such feature may also beused, to the extent appropriate, in the context of another figure orembodiment, in combination with another feature, or in the invention ingeneral.

For example, while various embodiments of retraction assemblies,auto-injector assemblies, occlusion members, and the like have beendescribed herein in exemplary combinations with one another, it will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that the described embodimentsmay be interchanged with one another without departing from the scope ofthe invention.

Further, it should be understood, that the invention is not to belimited to the particular described embodiments, but is to cover allmodifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope ofthe appended claims.

It will be appreciated that many embodiments of retraction assemblies,auto-injector assemblies, occlusion members, and the like have beendescribed herein in exemplary combinations with one another. It will beappreciated by those skilled in the art that the various embodiments maybe interchanged with one another without deviating from the scope of thepresent invention.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications, andalternative forms, specific examples thereof have been shown in thedrawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood,however, that the invention is not to be limited to the particular formsor methods disclosed, but to the contrary, the invention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the scope ofthe appended claims.

What is claimed:
 1. An apparatus for sealing a puncture extendingthrough tissue, comprising: a tubular member having a proximal end, adistal end sized for insertion into the puncture, and a lumen extendingbetween the proximal end and an outlet at the distal end; an elongateocclusion member slidably disposed within the tubular member, theocclusion member comprising a proximal end, and a distal end extendingdistally through an opening in the distal end of the tubular member; anexpandable member on the occlusion member distal end; a delivery devicecoupled to the proximal end of the tubular member, the delivery devicecomprising a plunger that is advanceable to deliver a sealing compoundfrom the tubular member lumen around the occlusion member and from theoutlet at the distal end of the tubular member; and a retractionassembly coupled to the proximal end of the tubular member and to theocclusion member, the retraction assembly comprising a lock for securingthe tubular member in a distal position relative to the occlusionmember, and a trigger that is activated by advancement of the plunger tothereby disengage the lock, the retraction assembly being biased toretract the tubular member proximally relative to the occlusion memberwhen the lock is disengaged such that the tubular member is retractedand the occlusion member remains substantially stationary whiledelivering the sealing compound from the tubular member lumen out theoutlet at the distal end of the tubular member.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, the occlusion member further comprising: an outer membercomprising proximal and distal ends defining a longitudinal axistherebetween with an inflation lumen extending between the outer memberproximal and distal ends, the expandable member comprising proximal anddistal ends and having a variable length dimension, the proximal end ofthe expandable member being coupled to the distal end of the outermember such that an interior of the expandable member is in fluidcommunication with the inflation lumen, the expandable member beingexpandable from a collapsed state to an expanded state by introductionof fluid into the interior; and an inner member slidably coupled to theouter member and comprising proximal and distal ends, the inner memberdistal end coupled to the expandable member distal end, the inner memberslidable relative to the outer member for moving the distal end of theexpandable member towards and away from the proximal end of theexpandable member when the expandable member is expanded and collapsed,respectively.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a housingon the proximal end of the outer member, the housing comprising achamber in fluid communication with the inflation lumen, a pistonslidably disposed within the chamber and coupled to the inner member, areservoir filled with inflation media and in fluid communication withthe chamber, and an actuator that may be activated by a user to directthe inflation media from the reservoir into the chamber and inflationlumen, thereby substantially simultaneously expanding the expandablemember and directing the piston proximally to thereby pull the innermember proximally to shorten the expandable member as it expands.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 3, wherein the actuator may be deactivated towithdraw inflation media from the chamber and the inflation lumen intothe reservoir, thereby substantially simultaneously collapsing theexpandable member and directing the piston distally to push the innermember distally to lengthen the expandable member as it collapses. 5.The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the proximal and distal ends of theexpandable member at least partially evert into the interior of theexpandable member as the expandable member expands.
 6. The apparatus ofclaim 1, the retraction assembly further comprising an elongate memberextending distally along a proximal portion of the occlusion member, theelongate member comprising one or more connectors on a distal endthereof, the one or more connectors connectable to the proximal end ofthe tubular member to thereby couple the tubular member to theretraction assembly.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the occlusionmember is coupled to the retraction assembly, the elongate memberfurther comprising a sheath extending over the proximal portion of theocclusion member, wherein the sheath may be received in the tubularmember lumen when the occlusion member is inserted therein, the one ormore connectors being insertable at least partially into the proximalend of the tubular member to couple the tubular member to the sheath. 8.The apparatus of claim 7, the tubular member further comprising ahousing on the proximal end thereof, the housing defining a cavity, theone or more connectors comprising a detent that collapses to allow thedetent to be inserted into the cavity when the sheath is received in thetubular member lumen, the detent being biased to extend within thecavity and prevent the detent from being removed easily therefrom. 9.The apparatus of claim 8, the housing comprising one or more side portscommunicating with the delivery device, the sheath comprising a lumenand an opening communicating with the lumen that is disposed within thecavity when the detent is inserted into the cavity, the sheathcomprising a seal distal to the opening for engaging an inner surface ofthe tubular member to substantially seal the lumen of the tubularmember, such that sealing compound delivered from the delivery deviceenters the one or more side ports and flows into the opening and throughthe lumen of the sheath.
 10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein a distaltip of the sheath extends beyond the distal end of the tubular memberwhen the detent is inserted into the cavity, such that the sealingcompound is delivered through the lumen of the sheath out the distal tipof the sheath and beyond the distal end of the tubular member.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the lock is configured to be disengagedwhile delivering the sealing compound out the distal end of the tubularmember.
 12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the delivery device iscoupled to a side port on the proximal end of the tubular member fordelivering the sealing compound through the tubular member lumen.
 13. Anapparatus for sealing a puncture extending through tissue, comprising:an outer member comprising proximal and distal ends defining alongitudinal axis therebetween with an inflation lumen extending betweenthe outer member proximal and distal ends; an expandable membercomprising proximal and distal ends and having a variable lengthdimension, the proximal end of the expandable member being coupled tothe distal end of the outer member such that an interior of theexpandable member is in fluid communication with the inflation lumen,the expandable member being expandable from a collapsed state to anexpanded state by introduction of fluid into the interior; an innermember slidably coupled to the outer member and comprising proximal anddistal ends, the inner member distal end coupled to the expandablemember distal end, the inner member slidable relative to the outermember for moving the distal end of the expandable member towards andaway from the proximal end of the expandable member when the expandablemember is expanded and collapsed, respectively; a housing on theproximal end of the outer member, the housing comprising a chamber influid communication with the inflation lumen, a piston slidably disposedwithin the chamber and coupled to the inner member, a reservoir having across-section larger than the inflation lumen filled with inflationmedia and in fluid communication with the chamber via a passage, and anactuator that may be activated by a user to direct the inflation mediafrom the reservoir into the chamber and inflation lumen, the inflationmedia substantially thereby simultaneously expanding the expandablemember and directing the piston proximally to thereby pull the innermember proximally to shorten the expandable member as it expands; atubular member having a proximal end, a distal end sized for insertioninto the puncture, and a lumen extending between the proximal and distalends, the outer member being slidable through the tubular member; adelivery device coupled to the proximal end of the tubular member, thedelivery device comprising a plunger that is advanceable to deliver asealing compound from the tubular member lumen into the puncture; and aretraction assembly coupled to the proximal end of the tubular memberand to the housing, the retraction assembly comprising a lock forsecuring the tubular member in a distal position relative to theexpandable member, and a trigger that is activated by advancement of theplunger to thereby disengage the lock, the retraction assembly beingbiased to retract the tubular member proximally relative to theexpandable member when the lock is disengaged.
 14. An apparatus forsealing a puncture extending through tissue, comprising: a tubularmember having a proximal end, a distal end sized for insertion into thepuncture, and a lumen extending between the proximal end and an outletat the distal end; an elongate occlusion member slidably disposed withinthe tubular member, the occlusion member comprising a proximal end, anda distal end extending distally through an opening in the distal end ofthe tubular member; an expandable member on the occlusion member distalend; a delivery device for delivering a sealing compound from thetubular member lumen around the occlusion member and from the outlet atthe distal end of the tubular member; and a retraction assembly coupledto the proximal end of the tubular member and to the occlusion member,the retraction assembly comprising a lock for securing the tubularmember in a distal position relative to the occlusion member, and atrigger that is activatable to disengage the lock, the retractionassembly being biased to automatically retract the tubular memberproximally relative to the occlusion member when the lock is disengagedsuch that the tubular member is retracted and the occlusion memberremains substantially stationary while delivering the sealing compoundfrom the tubular member lumen out the outlet at the distal end of thetubular member to at least partially fill the puncture.
 15. Theapparatus of claim 14, wherein the retraction assembly comprises a stopthat limits proximal retraction of the tubular member relative to theocclusion member when the lock is disengaged.
 16. The apparatus of claim15, wherein the stop is disposed at a location such that proximalretraction of the tubular member corresponds substantially to a lengthof a puncture through tissue that is being sealed.
 17. The apparatus ofclaim 14, wherein the delivery device comprises a plunger that isadvanceable to deliver the sealing compound through the tubular memberlumen and out the distal end of the tubular member, and wherein thetrigger is activated by advancement of the plunger to thereby disengagethe lock.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the trigger and lockare spaced apart a predetermined distance such that the lock is releasedwhen the sealing compound begins to exit from the distal end of thetubular member.